


Coming Home

by Witty_Name_Here



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Awesome Jody Mills, Bittersweet Ending, Bobby Singer's House, Children of Characters, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Dean Winchester Can't Say "I Love You", Dean Winchester In Love, Dean Winchester Needs to Remove Head From Ass, Dean Winchester Needs to Use Actual Words, Dean Winchester Says the Wrong Thing, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gen, Help, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love Confessions, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person Omniscient, Past Abuse, Patricide, Please be gentle, Secrets, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Uncle Bobby Singer, What Have I Done, Witches, not a slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 63,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25959286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witty_Name_Here/pseuds/Witty_Name_Here
Summary: Aurora Cordell, the daughter of famous Chicago defense attorney Mathias Cordell, gets stranded on a lonely stretch of highway as she heads back to college in Sioux Falls. Always willing to help those who need it, Dean and Sam stumble across the 'damsel in distress' who turns out to be so much more than just a temporary distraction.
Relationships: Bobby Singer & Original Female Character(s), Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Jody Mills & Original Character(s), Sam Winchester & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	1. August 2006 Part 1

_**August 2006** _

Sultry air blasted through the open windows of the Chevelle, whipping loose strands of Aurora's curly blonde locks into her eyes as she squinted through her sunglasses at the road. The late afternoon sun glared golden orange through the windshield, and she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel to the beats of the new mixtape she created before leaving Chicago. She belted out the lyrics to every song at the top of her lungs, the roar of the road and wind drowning out the sound. She felt the tension in her shoulders relax with every mile she put between herself and the city—and her father. 

They fought again before she bolted, rushing to put distance between the two of them before something worse happened than yelling and shattering whiskey glasses, the way all of their arguments tended to go. He'd demanded for the hundredth time since she'd been home for summer break why she'd chosen to go to some random college in some God-forsaken town in South Dakota rather than staying in Chicago and attending his alma mater. He hadn't cared for her sarcastic quip about him not being in South Dakota. 

What she didn't tell her father was that she'd picked Sioux Falls because the university there had given her a full scholarship that even covered room and board, which meant she didn't have to live in her father's house full-time. Otherwise, one of them might have to go on trial for murdering the other. Mathias Cordell was an excellent criminal defense attorney, one of the best, in fact. Still, he couldn't defend anyone if Aurora murdered him in a fit of rage or self-defense.

A raucous pop came from under the hood, loud enough to hear over the road noise, and she turned down the radio to listen for it again. "What the hell?" she muttered, checking the gauges on the dash, but everything appeared to be normal. Aurora continued to coax the car, hoping to get as close to Sioux Falls as possible before she had to walk. A quick glance at the road sign showed it was still twenty-five miles to Sioux Falls. "Come on, baby," she said, rubbing the dashboard affectionately, "we gotta get closer to the city. Momma can't walk that far in these boots." 

As though in answer, the pop came again, followed by the engine sputtering. "Damn it," Aurora muttered, guiding the car to the shoulder as the engine died, white smoke billowing from under the hood. She turned on the hazard lights, then stepped out of the vehicle during a break in traffic. She popped the hood, raising it all the way and waving away the massive cloud of smoke that enveloped her, tickling her throat and bringing on a coughing fit. Once the smoke cleared, she pushed her sunglasses onto her head like a headband. She looked around the engine, gingerly squeezing hoses and checking the belts' tension. 

When she squeezed the lower radiator hose, liquid approximately lava temperature shot out of a split in the bottom, searing her fingers and palm. "Shit!" She jerked her hand back, standing up too quickly and almost knocking herself out on the hood of the car. "Baby, I know you're feeling neglected, but could you have picked a slightly less disastrous cry for attention?" Resisting the urge to put her burned fingers into her mouth, she walked to the back of the car and dug around in the trunk for something to wrap her hand with. After a thorough search of the trunk that turned up one oily rag and six incredibly expensive scarves from her luggage, she opted for the scarf she hated the most, a gift from her father for some birthday or holiday likely bought by his secretary. Slamming the trunk lid closed, she retrieved her water bottle, rinsing her hands first, then wetting the silk scarf and wrapping it around her hand, tying it off into a small knot against her palm, her seared fingers wrapping around it, drawing relief from the cool water. 

Unsure of what to do now, she grabbed her cell phone off the dash, flipping it open. No signal. Of course not, why would there be? She was in the middle of nowhere, nothing but farmland and highway as far as the eye could see in any direction. Any other time the vast openness would have brought her an odd sense of peace, a feeling she didn't quite understand. She loved the city, but out here felt right too. Well, it would if she weren't stranded on the side of the highway with no cell phone signal. Sighing, she tossed her phone back into the car, where it bounced off the seat into the floorboard. "Bloody hell."

She walked back to the front of the car, muttering curses and trying to decide if she wanted to try to walk to Sioux Falls. The light was fading, the sun sinking over the horizon, turning the sky a canvas of dusty reds, oranges, and yellows, as though an unknown artist had painted it across the sky just for her. Aurora's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the sunset, something she rarely saw in Chicago. It was getting dark quickly now, and she decided against trying to walk anywhere tonight. She slammed the hood closed, then reached inside the car to turn off the hazard lights to save the battery. 

Climbing onto the hood of the car, careful not to scratch the black paint with her boots, Aurora watched the sun fade below the horizon, absently fiddling with her keychain and the small canister of pepper spray that dangled from it. The car rocked each time an eighteen-wheeler rolled by, and Aurora wondered if she'd be able to sleep in the car with all the noise. The last of the sun disappeared below the horizon, bathing the world in twilight, and she slid off the hood of the car, preparing herself to spend a rough night inside as a black Impala pulled off the highway onto the shoulder, parking about twenty feet ahead of her. 

A glimmer of hope bloomed inside her, but she readied the pepper spray in her good palm, anyway. There was no sense in taking any chances, but even if she used the pepper spray, there was no way for her to escape, except for stealing the car. Her body tensed involuntarily as both doors opened, and two men stepped out of the car. She leaned back against the hood, crossing her arms and ankles, the fabric of her peasant top ruffling as the vehicles rushed by. 

Aurora couldn't see their faces in the rapidly dimming light, but they were tall, with broad shoulders, and the shorter one wore a leather jacket, while the other really seemed to like flannel. They took cautious steps toward where she stood, as though they were hunting prey. A shiver went through her, and she realized that the temperature had dropped significantly since the sun went down. The two men stopped halfway between the two cars and called out to her, yelling over the highway noise so she could hear them. 

"Hey, do you need some help?" the driver said. Aurora regarded him, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he couldn't see that in the growing darkness, and the passenger gave what she could only guess was a slight smile in reassurance. 

"Y-Yes, I do. The car has a busted radiator hose," she replied, fingers idly stroking the trigger of her pepper spray. "I burned the shit out of my hand when I found it. My phone doesn't have any signal, so I was just going to wait out the night and see if I can walk far enough to get a signal at first light."

"Can I look at it? Our uncle owns a salvage yard in Sioux Falls; maybe he has some parts to get it going again." The driver took a step closer, hands raised. Aurora's body felt like a tightly wound spring, ready to pop loose at any moment. So this is how she'd meet her end? On some dark highway, killed by two random men? Well, if that wouldn't prove everything her father said right…

"Wait," she blurted, and the driver stopped moving, "What's your name? I at least get to know the names of the people who might end up murdering me." The driver flashed a quick smile, caught in the headlight beams of a passing truck. 

"I'm Dean, that's my brother Sam," he said, jerking his thumb toward the other guy. "Now your turn. What's your name? Don't we get to know the name of the woman who might kill us?" Aurora snorted, a smile curving her lips at the absurdity of the mental image of her trying to take down the two of them. Her laughter eased some tension between the three of them as she uncrossed her ankles, pushing herself off the hood of the car, then stepped to the side. 

"My name is Aurora. Look all you want." She gestured toward the car, eyeing him warily as he stepped forward and popped the hood without hesitation. "It's got a busted lower radiator hose, and I'm almost positive it has a cracked head gasket." Dean nodded, impressed that she knew anything about the car she drove, considering she looked to him like a spoiled city girl. He of all people knew looks could deceive, but still. 

"Sam! Bring me a flashlight," he barked, tossing Sam the keys to open the trunk. A flashlight pressed into his hand a few moments later, and he flicked it on, inspecting the underside of the hood just as Aurora had done two hours before. Agreeing with her assessment, he clicked the flashlight off, stuffing it into his jacket and closing the hood. He turned to her, features hidden in the darkness now, trying to decide what to do. He and Sam really didn't have time to deal with anything extra right now, but he knew for sure Bobby would skin him alive if he didn't at least offer to help the girl. 

"We're headed to our uncle's salvage yard now; we could give you a ride and tow the car tomorrow. Unless you just want to sleep on the side of the highway tonight?"

Aurora eyed him, a dubious look on her face. On the one hand, she really didn't want to be out here alone, but on the other, well, what if they killed her? They didn't look like the type, but she supposed Ted Bundy probably hadn't either. Chewing on her lip, she blew out a breath, huffing. 

"Fine, sure. Let me get my bag." She reached inside the car, fumbling around the floorboard in the dark, looking for her wayward cell phone. Her fingers closed around it, and she stood up, dropping it into the bag on her shoulder as she slammed the door. "Let's go," she said, following them to the Impala. Sam held the back door open as she slid inside, settling herself against the black leather. She ran her hand along the seat, feeling the leather's grain and stitching, glancing up to see Dean giving her an odd look in the rearview mirror. Her face flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat. 

"This is a beautiful car. Someone takes excellent care of it." The words came out more breathless than she intended, but the grin that spread across Dean's face was infectious, and she smiled back at him.

He started the car, the engine purring to life as though responding to a lover's touch. She leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, letting the pleasant rumble of the car's exhaust pipes soothe her frayed nerves. They rode without speaking for a few minutes, some classic rock tune playing on the speakers. It was some obscure song by a band she liked, and she stared out the window, bobbing her head slightly with the beat. "So," she said brightly, leaning forward and breaking the silence between them. Then, having no idea where to go with the conversation, she defaulted to safe small talk questions. "What do you guys do for a living?" 

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance, an entire conversation that said, ‘ _might as well tell her the truth, she'll make her own assumptions,’_ _in_ a single look. Sam sighed, glancing over his shoulder at her. "We're hunters." With no further elaboration, he turned away from her, staring out the window. 

"What do you hunt? I mean, Sioux Falls isn't exactly prime hunting land. Doesn't seem like the job would pay very well." When the song on the radio changed to one of her favorites, she almost squealed with excitement, then choked it down at the last minute, going instead for a calmer approach. "Oooh, turn that up!" She leaned back in the seat, singing along and staring out the window into the darkness. Dean glanced at her, a slight smile tilted one corner of his mouth upward, then looked at the back of Sam's head and shrugged, turning up the radio and singing with her as Sam rolled his eyes at the noise, but didn't say anything. 

Dean exited the highway, turning right onto a county road that disappeared into the darkness. Without light, Aurora couldn't keep track of where they were taking her. She guessed if they planned to murder her, out here would be the place to do it. Giving that thought a violent and proverbial boot up the ass to push it from her mind, she stared out the window into the inky blackness that threatened to swallow her whole. A few minutes later, they rolled up to the open gate of a salvage yard, gravel crunching under the tires as they idled forward toward a house slightly hidden behind heaps of car bodies. The Impala rolled to a stop, and Dean turned off the car, climbing out. 

"Bobby! You here?" The house's door opened, and an older man with a beard stepped out onto the tiny porch holding a shotgun, his frame lit by the single bulb porch light. Aurora swallowed hard as Sam got out of the car. What on earth had she gotten herself into? Aurora watched from the darkness of the car as the man put the shotgun down, giving each one of them a bear hug. She smiled wanly at the gesture of affection, her thoughts turning inward as they sometimes did when she'd witness something that reminded her how much her father hated her on principle. They had a brief conversation, most of which she didn't hear, then Dean turned toward the car and gestured for her to join them. 

"Here goes nothing." Her hand rested on the door handle a moment, anxiety swirling in her belly like a ball of snakes, and she hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the handle and climbed out of the car, grabbing her bag as she went, slamming the door behind her. The older man gave her a guarded look as Dean introduced them. 

"Bobby, this is Aurora. Her car broke down on the side of the interstate about twenty miles from here. It was dark, and I didn't think we should leave her out there alone all night, so I said she could come with us and offered to get her car in the morning." Aurora held out her unburned hand to shake his, and he took it gingerly, as though she might attack him. He wore an intricately carved silver ring on the hand he put in hers, and she couldn't help but turn his hand over to get a better look at it. 

"This is a beautiful ring! Where did you get it?" She traced her fingers over the top of the design, temporarily forgetting she was holding a complete stranger's hand. Flushing slightly from embarrassment, she dropped his hand and took a step back, clearing her throat. "I'm so sorry, I've forgotten my manners, apparently," she breathed, then added, "it's nice to meet you, Bobby." 

His demeanor stayed wary, but the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable. "Likewise," he said, turning his attention to the others. "Let's go inside." He turned and disappeared inside the house, followed by Sam. Dean held the door, waiting for her. She stood on the porch's bottom step, pale and sweating despite the slight chill in the air. "Come inside or shut the damn door, you're letting the bugs in." Bobby's voice floated out onto the porch from somewhere inside the house, and Dean let go of the door, sending it crashing into the frame. "Damn it, boy!" The sound of Bobby's irritated voice made Dean smirk, and she couldn't help but smile. 

"Come on, let's go inside." He held out his hand to her, and she noticed he wore the same style ring as Bobby, wondering for a moment if it was a family heirloom. "You're safer here than out there alone on the interstate in the dark, trust me," he said, sensing her hesitation. She glanced around, a shiver going up her spine, then took his hand and let Dean lead her inside the house. 

Aurora drew in a breath as she entered the library of Bobby's house. There were books everywhere, stacked on every available surface. She didn't think her father's library even came close to this. Dean gestured toward the couch, catching her attention. "Have a seat. You want a beer or something?" 

Aurora sat down on the slightly lumpy couch, shaking her head. "No, thank you. I'll take some water, though." She licked her lips, unaware until now how dry they were. Dean nodded, disappearing into the kitchen through a pocket door between the rooms. Setting her bag beside her, she pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head, tossing them inside, then tried to smooth her unruly curls. Filled with nervous energy, she stood up and wandered around the room, trailing her fingers over the spines of the books neatly lining the shelves. "Not exactly light reading," she muttered as her hand stopped on a book called "Binsfield's Classification of Demons." She picked it up, balancing it on one arm as she flipped through the pages. 

Dean walked back to the living room, a bottle of water in one hand and an open beer in the other, stopping short at the sight of her, half turned away with one of Bobby's books balanced on her arm. She hadn't heard him return, and he admired her form from the doorway. Her blond curls tumbled about wildly as though they had a life of their own, and he wondered for a moment what it would be like to bury his hands in them as he kissed her. He indulged the fantasy for a half-second longer, then cleared his throat, dismissing it. Aurora let out a yelp at the sound, spinning toward him and clutching the book to her chest protectively. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." A ghost of a smile played at the corners of his mouth as he held out the water bottle to her, and she laid the book down on the table, then reached for the bottle with a trembling hand. The sleeve of her top pulled back slightly as she did, revealing yellow-green healing bruises from where her father had grabbed her during one of their worst fights. Embarrassed, she pulled the sleeve down as she took the bottle, spinning off the cap and turning away from him, drinking the whole bottle in one long drink. She put the lid back on the empty bottle, fiddling with it in her hands, refusing to meet his eyes as an awkward silence fell between them. 

"You hungry?" Bobby stuck his head through the doorway, looking at her. When she didn't answer, he glanced at Dean and back to Aurora. "Am I interrupting something here?" Aurora's face flushed bright pink, and she turned away from them, trying to get control of the tears welling in her eyes. 

Dean cleared his throat and answered for them both, not taking his eyes off her. "No, nothing. And I don't know if she's hungry, but I'm starving." Bobby frowned at him, casting a worried glance at Aurora. 

"If you're hungry, there's plenty of food in the kitchen, as long as you aren't vegan. You can come and join us when you're ready." Clearly not satisfied with the answer, he gave Dean a stern look, nodded, and was gone again. Dean's gaze lingered on her back for a moment before following Bobby into the kitchen. He sat down across from Sam at the table, sighing and weary all the way to his bones. Sam shot him a look of annoyance, shaking his head. 

"What, Sam? What do you want to say?" Dean leaned back in the chair, clasping his hands behind his head with a look of irritation that matched Sam's as he waited for the lecture. 

"Why did you stop for her? We don't have time to help her right now, and for all you know, she's something other than human. Now, we have extra crap to deal with because you volunteered to help. Isn't hunting enough to satisfy your hero complex? Now we're saving damsels in distress too?" His voice rose in volume until Bobby shushed him. Sam stared at his beer bottle, absently peeling off the label and occasionally glaring at Dean, who glared back. He leaned forward, cocking one eyebrow at Sam and rolling his bottle between his palms. 

"Hero complex? Damsels in distress? You're using big words there, Sammy, careful you don't hurt yourself." He leaned back, taking a long drink from the bottle and staring at the closed door. He set the bottle on the table and sighed. "Look, Sam, she's obviously human. I mean, she didn't even flinch when she touched Bobby's ring; she wandered all over the library without any problems, and the bottle of water I gave her was half holy water. She drank it in one drink without stopping. It was a little impressive, actually. I think her not being human is not the issue here." 

"Fine, it's not. But seriously, we don't even know who she is, and people tend to freak when they learn what we do. How do you know she won't?" 

"Well, obviously, I don't. But since she was reading one of Bobby's demon classification books when I went in there, I'm pretty sure it won't be as bad as you think if she does find out." Dean sighed, glancing at Bobby, who followed their exchange with suppressed amusement. "Anything to add?"

"No, no, I think you guys are handling this just fine on your own. Just be careful." He gave Dean a pointed look. Dean stared back at him blankly, clearly missing the older man's point.

Sam rolled his eyes. "He means don't get attached to her, Dean." He shook his head, taking a drink from his bottle as Dean contemplated this statement. He'd had no intention of doing that, he knew better, and he found their concern about it insulting. He said nothing and took another long drink, ignoring them both and fixing his gaze on the door to the library. 

Aurora pulled herself together, straightening her shoulders. She was Mathias Cordell's daughter, and she hadn't survived nineteen years under his thumb to fall apart now, especially over something so trivial. So what if Dean saw the bruises? She could easily explain them away, just as she had so many other times. Smoothing her curls, she crossed the room to the door, stopping as she heard muffled voices on the other side, no doubt talking about her. She huffed, then slid one of the doors open to see three surprised faces looking back at her. 

"Is there any food left?" Aurora's stomach let out a low growl as though to punctuate her question, and Dean stood up from the table.

"Have a seat. I'll get it for you." Dean gestured toward the now empty chair, then moving about the kitchen, returning with a plate heaped with what could only be described as an omelet turned disaster. She gave him a small smile as he set the plate in front of her, and he got another beer from the fridge. He leaned back against the countertop, watching her. 

"So, what am I eating?" She picked up the fork and took a small bite, the bacon's flavor intermingling wonderfully with the eggs, potatoes, and cheese. The addition of little bits of jalapeño peppers gave it a slight kick, sending tingles of warmth across her taste buds that burst with even more flavor. "Oh my god, this is delicious!"

"That," Dean said, pointing at her plate with the neck of his bottle, "is Bobby's signature dish, the deconstructed omelet. It's got so much cheese in it; it's guaranteed to make you not crap for a month." He stuck the bottle to his lips, taking a long sip as Bobby turned toward him, a look of mock indignation on his face. 

"I'll have you know, boy, that incident is why I added the jalapeños." A brief silence fell across the room before the two men burst into laughter. Sam sighed, resting his elbow on the table across from her, covering his face with his palm. Aurora giggled at the easy banter between them, suddenly realizing she hadn't heard laughter in her home since her mother left, and she couldn't really remember anything before that. Bobby turned to her, ready to begin her interrogation no doubt, and Aurora eyed him warily over her plate. 

"So, where are you from, Aurora?"

"Chicago," she said quickly, wiping her mouth on a napkin between bites. "Lincoln Park, to be exact." A strangled choking sound came from across the table, and Aurora eyed Sam with suspicion, but he waved it off, gesturing for her to continue. 

"Why in hell are you all the way out here in Sioux Falls?" It was Bobby's turn to be surprised, staring at her, eyes wide with interest.

"I'm starting my second year at the university here, that is where I was going when my car broke down." She took another bite of her food, chewing slowly as they glanced at each other, none of them wanting to ask the next question. Sighing, she dropped her fork, pushing the plate away. "In case you're wondering, and judging by your reluctance to ask, you are, I am nineteen, not some runaway. Here, I'll show you." 

She got up from the table, going into the other room and returning with a wallet. Sitting down again, she plucked her driver's license and university ID out of the wallet, sliding them across the table for inspection. Bobby picked them up, turning the plastic cards over in his hands. "And you know, I find it rather peculiar that none of you has volunteered to show me any ID. For all I know, you guys are mass murderers wanted by the FBI or something." Catching the glances between Sam and Dean, she felt a knot of anxiety build behind her breast bone, and the food suddenly felt very heavy in her stomach, turning over and threatening to make a rapid exit in a less than socially acceptable manner. 

She knew she must look queasy because Bobby quickly slid the cards back to her, glaring at Sam and Dean. "No mass murder, but it's probably best if you don't believe everything you see on the news." He kept a straight face, his eyes brimming with laughter as Aurora swallowed hard.

"I see," she said slowly, glancing at Dean, who shrugged innocently, then Sam, who looked mortified. "Well, in that case, you probably should believe everything you hear on the news about my father. Not so much about me, though. The media tends to make me out to be some socialite party girl and downplays how bad he really is." 

Dean pushed off the counter, grabbing a chair from the library and settling himself near the table. Aurora took in the surrounding kitchen for the first time and realized that there were books stacked everywhere on shelves in here, just like the library. There were several phones mounted on a wall, each labeled with a different government agency. _What the hell?_

"So, are you going to tell us who your father is?" Dean asked, his green eyes intent on her, reminding her of the vast fields she'd been passing on the interstate earlier that day. He had gorgeous eyes, and if she wasn't careful, she might get lost in them and never find her way out. Would she really want to, though? She cleared her throat, tearing her gaze from him and shaking her head. 

"Not until you explain those. Truth for truth. Deal?" She pointed to the wall of phones, and the room went silent. Dean cocked an eyebrow at her, searching her expression, trying to find some clue as to how she'd take the truth. "Look, Sam said you were hunters, but regular hunters don't need phones labeled with various government agencies. What kind of hunters are you exactly?" 

Bobby gave Sam a stern look, and he shrugged and pointed at Dean, directing Bobby's black stare toward him. "What the hell were we supposed to tell her?" Dean said to Bobby's unspoken accusation. "Hi, I'm Dean, that's Sam. Nice to meet you; we sell insurance?" 

"Well, you could have said _anything_ other than you're hunters," Bobby scowled. "Idjits." Aurora's muscles tensed, ready to dive under the table should the fists or beer bottles start flying. When they didn't, she let out an inaudible sigh of relief. 

"Uh, Dean's right," Aurora said tentatively, chewing on her lip as everyone turned to look at her, and she instantly regretted speaking. "Look, I'm young, but I'm not stupid. I wouldn't have believed for a second you two sell insurance." She leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking an eyebrow at them. Sam sighed, facepalming again as Dean stood up a little straighter, looking like a preening peacock. Aurora snorted, shaking her head. "Anyway, tell me the truth, and I'll tell you who my father is. That's the deal."

Bobby scrutinized her; eyes narrowed. "And what happens if you don't like what you hear?" Aurora kept her face passive, a skill she had honed to perfection over the years. 

"I didn't say anything about liking the answers in the deal, now did I? I don't think you'll like my answer any more than I'll like yours, so we'll be even. So who wants to tell me?" Her gaze floated between their faces, settling on Dean's, if only because she liked looking at him the most, but it was Sam who answered. 

"We weren't lying, we are hunters, but we don't hunt animals." Aurora looked confused, and Sam continued. "You know the stories of monsters—werewolves, witches, vampires, that sort of thing?" Aurora nodded slowly. "They're all real, and we hunt them."

Aurora paled, swallowing hard. "So all the books, they're research material?" She croaked, and Sam nodded. "So, what are the phones for then?"

"Well, we can't exactly just stroll up to a crime scene and start asking questions," Sam said, and Aurora's mouth formed into an O, her eyes going wide in understanding. 

"Your turn," Bobby said, ignoring her reaction. "Who is your father?" Aurora hesitated, unable to form words. She coughed, clearing her throat, and Dean reached inside the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water and placing it on the table in front of her. 

"Thank you," she croaked, taking a long sip. "Well, a deal's a deal, but I don't think my part will be nearly as interesting." She laughed dryly and took a deep breath. "My father… is Mathias Cordell."

"Wait… your father is the attorney that defended that one guy—what was his name?" Dean blurted. 

"The one and only," Aurora muttered, dropping her forehead onto the table, feeling drained. She chose not to answer Dean's question beyond that, and a heavy silence filled the room, making her uncomfortable. "Will someone other than me please say something? The silence is deafening, and it's making my head hurt." She lifted her head, planting her chin on the table instead, curls falling into her face. She blew out a breath, sending the stray curls flying upward and out of her face, then sat up straight, mouth opening into an enormous yawn. 

"Well," Bobby said, breaking the silence. "I think that's enough show and tell for the evening. I'm going to bed. You're welcome to the house; just beware that the decor is probably loaded." Sam and Dean snickered as Aurora blanched, then nodded. "There aren't enough beds, so I hope you don't mind the couch." 

"Not at all. A few hours ago, I thought I'd be sleeping in my car—a couch sounds lovely right now." Aurora smiled at him, and he nodded to her, then retreated upstairs. Sam gave her a small smile, then got up and left the room, glaring at Dean as he went. "He doesn't like me much, does he?" She nodded toward the door Sam had disappeared through. 

"Sam's been through a lot in the last year, and we've got a lot going on right now. It's nothing personal, but he sees you as a complication more than anything. He'll be alright, though. We'll get your car back here and fixed up good as new, and then you'll go back to your life. Aurora nodded but said nothing. Dean slapped his hands to his knees and stood up. "Come on, let's get you set up for the night." Aurora nodded again, obediently following Dean into the library.

Aurora stared at the ceiling in the dark, exhausted, but unable to sleep. The couch she laid on was lumpy and only slightly uncomfortable, but that wasn't what bothered her. Not really, anyway. Dean's words played over in her head, and she was powerless to stop them. How was she a distraction? From what? Did she really want to know the answer? Giving up on sleep, she flipped on the lamp next to the couch and sat up, tucking her feet under her and wrapping the blanket around her legs. She stared out the window into the darkness, the shadows shifting around the junked cars like inky smoke, blowing this way and that in the slight breeze, the feeling of eyes watching her in the darkness sending shivers up her spine. 

She threw off the blanket, nervous energy forcing her to get up, and she moved around the library, picking a few books off the shelves and stacking them on the floor next to the couch. Settling down once more, she picked up the same book she'd been reading earlier and turning the pages gingerly, fascinated. She had a hard time wrapping her head around Sam's revelation, but she knew better than to discount it entirely and found herself wondering if her father was possessed by a demon. It would explain quite a few things that happened over the years if it were true. Aurora was halfway through the stack of books she'd collected when her eyelids grew heavy, and she nodded off. Her head occasionally nodded, bobbing off the hand that held it up. Still, she refused to give in to sleep, stubbornly reading one more page every time she jerked awake until sleep finally won, dragging her down into the depths of oblivion.


	2. August 2006 - Part 2

**_August 2006 Part 2_**

Bobby stepped lightly on the stairs as he descended, but the old wood creaked loudly in protest. He padded down the hallway, stopping at the library doorway and checked on their guest. He smiled to himself, seeing her with a book sprawled across her lap, her feet tucked under her and her head bent over it as though reading intently. Her curls fell in front of her like a curtain hiding her sleeping face, but Bobby had fallen asleep at his desk enough times to know that position well. He shook his head, rubbing his hands down his face, trying to wake up himself. Watching her, he wondered if his own daughter would have fallen asleep that way; if he'd had one. Pushing the thought away, he turned and went into the kitchen. 

He thought about making breakfast but decided to make coffee instead. If Aurora had slept in that position all night, she'd no doubt need it. As the pot brewed, he sat down at the table, enjoying the quiet of the early morning and mentally preparing for the day ahead. The coffee had just finished brewing when footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Dean entered the kitchen. He nodded to Bobby, who did the same, then crossed the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee. Dean sat one cup down in front of Bobby as he took a seat across from him at the table. 

They sat in silence, sipping from their steaming mugs, each of them lost in their own thoughts. After several minutes, Bobby set down his empty cup and looked directly at Dean. "So, when do you want to get her car? We should probably do it soon before the cops pick it up and assume it's abandoned." Dean nodded, glancing toward the closed pocket door leading to the library. Bobby could see the dark smudges under his eyes and wondered if Dean slept at all. 

"What do you think of her?" Bobby said, tilting his head toward the library. He hoped since Sam wasn't around, Dean might open up more. Dean glanced at him, shook his head, and took another sip of his coffee, but didn't answer right away, silence filling the space between them, long enough that Bobby decided he wasn't going to answer his question.

"I don't know," Dean said finally, a small sigh escaping his lips. He stared into his cup as though trying to read some divination from the grounds, but finding none, finished off the coffee, setting the cup down on the table with a clunk. "I couldn't sleep last night, trying to figure out why I decided to stop. Sam and I were arguing about something ridiculous, I saw her car, and I stopped. I don't think I even thought about it, and that's what worries me. She could have been anything, any type of monster, and I didn't even think about it, I just offered to bring her here. Maybe Sam is right, I don't know." He shook his head again, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes, fighting the growing exhaustion he felt seeping into his bones. 

"Did it occur to you that it was something you were supposed to do?" Bobby said, keeping his voice casual. "For some reason, you two were supposed to meet, and you did."

"No." Dean sighed, opening his eyes. "Fate, destiny, all that crap is just that, crap. I don't believe anyone is meant to do anything. Sometimes shit just happens, and it sucks, but you deal with it and keep moving forward." He rubbed his temples, willing away the headache forming behind his eyes. Bobby shrugged, letting the subject drop. Dean stood up, almost knocking the chair over, and leaned over the sink to stare out the window into the yard. 

"I can't believe that." He spoke to no one in particular, and Bobby wondered for a moment if Dean remembered he wasn't alone. "If everything is fated and there are no choices we make that aren't already decided, then what is the point? Why are me and Sam and every other hunter out there risking our lives every day, if it's all for nothing because things just are how they are?" He turned, leaning back against the counter and staring at Bobby as though expecting a wise answer from the older man.

The only answer Bobby could give was a small shrug of one shoulder. "I don't have answers for those questions, son, nobody does. What I do know is that when life gives you some small opportunity to relax or be happy, you grab onto that, and you don't let go. That's what makes everything else we do worth it. Otherwise, there really is no point to any of it." 

Dean snorted, looking away. "I don't think that's what this is, Bobby. She's a spoiled city girl who knows nothing about this life. The sooner her car gets fixed, the sooner everyone can get back to their lives." Bobby took a deep breath, closing his eyes in frustration. He always knew Dean was stubborn but was he wrong? Exhaling, he opened his eyes, casting a hard stare in Dean's direction. 

"I think there's more to her than just being a spoiled city girl. She may not be a hunter, but I guarantee you she's fought her fair share of demons and monsters, only they were of the human variety." Bobby's voice was stern, but he'd recognized the haunted look in her eyes when she spoke of her father—he saw it every time he looked in a mirror. 

Dean looked taken aback for a moment, remembering. "She has bruises on her arm. I saw them when I handed her a water bottle yesterday. You don't think…" his voice trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought, and Bobby gave a noncommittal shrug in response.

"I don't know anything, but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say he's the biggest reason why she's attending a no-name university in South Dakota and not an Ivy League school in Chicago." With that, Bobby stood, picking up the empty coffee cups and carrying them toward the sink. Dean stepped aside automatically, giving Bobby room without really noticing his presence. He poured another cup of coffee, then disappeared through the pocket door into the library, leaving Bobby alone in the kitchen.

Dean slid the door silently closed behind him. Aurora's back was toward him, her head bent over one of Bobby's books as though reading it, blond curls tumbling every direction over her shoulders. His heart tightened in his chest, but he ignored it, stepping forward to switch off the lamp and take the book from her lap. She inhaled sharply at the book's movement, her head snapping up and unfocused sapphire blue eyes staring up at him. He saw a flash of fear pass through them, gone in the same instant as though it hadn't been there at all. She yawned, rubbing her gritty eyes and wincing at the pain in her neck. It certainly wasn't the first time since she started college she'd fallen asleep hunched over a book, but it still hurt every time.

Dean held out the steaming mug of coffee in silent offering, and she took it with a small smile of thanks, wrapping her hands around it and inhaling the scent, trying to force herself awake. She took a little drink, the bitter taste welcome on her tongue, and she closed her eyes in pleasure. 

Dean moved about the room, returning the stack of books she'd set on the floor next to her to their proper locations on the shelves. She watched him, rolling her neck in circles between sips of steaming coffee. Neither of them spoke until he'd put the last book away. 

"Doing a little light reading?" he said, half-smiling at her. She smiled back in reflex, nodding and sipping her coffee. "Bobby says we should head out to get your car soon before the cops impound it." He tried to think of something else to say as Aurora nodded, setting the now empty cup down on the table next to the couch. She stood up, raising her arms over her head, muscles screaming in protest as she stretched and moved to loosen them. The hem of her top slid up, revealing the narrow section of her waist, and Dean quickly looked away, but not before seeing the silver glint of a navel piercing. He cleared his throat, scooped up the empty coffee cup, and opened the door to make a hasty retreat.

"Bathroom is at the end of the hall, meet us outside in twenty minutes," he mumbled, disappearing through the door before he could see her look of startled confusion at his exit. 

He was sitting in the idling Impala, still mentally berating both himself and Bobby twenty minutes later when she emerged from the house. His reaction to seeing her skin was juvenile, and he knew it. He'd been turning the conversation with Bobby over in his mind, and now he couldn't seem to see Aurora objectively. That was going to be a problem, he knew. He clenched his jaw, the muscles quivering, and he tried to do what he'd always done and pack all that emotional crap into a box to be shoved into the dark recesses of memory and dealt with later, or, if he was lucky, forgotten entirely. 

Sam sat in the seat next to him, not quite awake, but very aware of Dean's present mood, glancing between his brother and Aurora as she exited the house. He said nothing, thankful that Bobby had called her over to ride with him. If nothing else, it would give Sam and Dean a chance to talk. Dean put the car into gear, following Bobby's tow truck through the gate and onto the road, nothing but the sound of the engine between them. 

"Still think this was a good idea?" Dean glared at Sam, the obvious sarcasm in his question souring Dean's mood further. 

"Shut up, Sam. We're not talking about this right now. I get it, you think it was a bad idea. And Bobby didn't help anything either, so just drop it. Let's just get the car back so me and Bobby can fix it, and she can go on about her life, and we can get back to ours. Okay?" His jaw muscles ached, but he clenched his jaw tighter and stared at the rear end of Bobby's truck, desperately trying to keep his thoughts on driving—and off Aurora, a task that seemed to become more impossible with each minute that passed. 

They rode the rest of the way in silence, and Dean was thankful when they finally passed the Chevelle parked on the opposite shoulder of the highway. That grateful feeling vanished quickly, replaced with a sense of dread as they rolled to a stop behind it. The car was completely destroyed. Window glass littered the ground around the car's burnt-out shell, a rag sticking out from under the back license plate. 

The unmistakable scent of sulfur permeated the air as they got out of the car to help Bobby hook it up. Aurora stood by the truck, arms folded across her body as though trying to hug herself, although it was more of an attempt to keep the lead knot forming in her stomach firmly in place. She wanted to scream, cry, and punch things. Who would do this to her car? Why? And what the hell was that smell? Her brain spit out questions so fast she felt the world around her start spinning, and she leaned back against the truck, breathing deeply. She gulped, realizing that if Dean hadn't stopped, and she hadn't agreed to go with them, her charred remains would be in that car. The world tilted on its axis, and she leaned forward, bile spewing from her lips down the shoulder embankment, the lead weight in her stomach determined to break free.

Aurora was still gagging as they finished hooking up the car, and she wiped her mouth quickly on the hem of her shirt, realizing afterward that the clothes she currently wore were all that was left of the wardrobe she'd brought with her. Irritated that her destroyed belongings were the focus of her concern, she yanked the truck's door open, climbing inside. Tears welled in her eyes, the wayward strays falling from her lashes. 

That car had been only hers, the only thing she'd ever bought with her own money. She'd worked the last three years at a small independent bookstore downtown, saving every penny of her paychecks and scouring the internet for a good deal on a car. She hadn't intended to buy a classic car, but when she'd gone to look at a different one, there it was. The rest was history, and with minor repairs, the car became her baby, and now it was destroyed. 

Bobby glanced over his shoulder toward the cab of the truck, then back at Dean. "Still think there's no plan?" Sam looked confused, but Bobby didn't elaborate because Dean knew exactly what he meant. He frowned, staring at the destroyed car. 

"It's going to be cheaper and less time consuming for her to buy a whole new car," he muttered. He felt like something—or someone, was manipulating him, and it only added to his irritated mood. Bobby shrugged, agreeing. 

"Maybe, but how many times have you rebuilt that Impala?" He turned on his heel, walking toward the truck's cab. He opened the door, glancing back at them to see Dean glowering, jerking open the door to his car and getting inside. He shook his head, his smirk hidden beneath his thick beard, then climbed in the truck. 

Aurora rode the entire way back to the salvage yard in silence, angrily wiping away stray tears. She stared out the window, saying nothing. There was nothing to say now, really. Her only choices were to call her father and have him send one of his cars or spend the money he'd used to buy her silence for the things he'd done to her over the years. For the longest time, she'd hidden it in a jar in the back of her closet, but she'd forgotten to put it away once, and her nanny found it. After she demanded to know what it was, she'd taken Aurora to open an interest-bearing savings account where she'd deposited all her father's 'blood money,' as she called it. Aurora never touched the account, rarely even checking the balance anymore, just making a deposit every time her father 'apologized' for his horrible behavior. 

As a whole, she considered every dollar of that money to be the price for a piece of her soul and the cost of being Mathias Cordell's daughter. Aurora knew she could have and definitely should have reported his abuse years ago, but it wouldn't have mattered. She also knew her mother tried to leave Mathias when Aurora was five, and she died six months later of an apparent drug overdose. The older she got, the more convinced she became that her father had been behind her mother's death somehow, and with no way of knowing whether the same fate would befall her, she put up with him until the day she graduated high school and went off to college. She'd hoped for somewhere farther away from Chicago than South Dakota, Antarctica might have been sufficient. But, the university in Sioux Falls had given her a full scholarship, where the others hadn't. 

Bobby glanced at Aurora, still silent and sitting like a stone in the seat. "So, what do you want to do with the car?" His voice was soft, almost gentle, and her bottom lip trembled for a second before she clenched her teeth, stopping it.

"I don't know." She didn't look at him. She couldn't, not without knowing she wouldn't break down completely. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take, and she couldn't string coherent thoughts together to not sound like a blubbering mess, so she said nothing more. Bobby nodded, turning into the gate of the salvage yard, and Aurora caught a glimpse of the car in the door mirror as she struggled to choke back a quiet sob. 

They parked behind the house, and Aurora watched as Dean got out of the Impala, slamming the door, his face like a thundercloud, and she wanted to apologize for annoying him, and her irritation with herself grew. It wasn't her fault someone had torched her car, and she hadn't asked him to stop to help her, and even beyond that, she hadn't asked him to help her fix it. For the most part, she could do that herself, and what she couldn't do, she could easily use her money to pay Bobby to tow it into town for someone else to deal with. 

Bobby saw Dean's display of temper as well, shaking his head. "Damn idjit." His voice was a low mumble, and Aurora almost missed what he said. She looked at him, and he gave her a half-smile, pulling the door handle and sliding out of the truck. She followed, uncertain of what to do or say now. Clearly, this wasn't the outcome any of them had planned. Her term started in three weeks, and she doubted the car would be complete by then, even with everyone pitching in. What the hell was she going to do?

Aurora walked up the porch steps as the others unhooked the Chevelle, leaving it in the middle of the driveway. She stared at it, looking as broken and battered as she'd felt her entire life, anger swelling in her chest, threatening to overwhelm her. She pulled out her phone, flipping it open to see fourteen missed texts from Tara, the last one from just a few minutes before said she was about to call the cops. Aurora sent a quick text back. "I'm fine, call later to explain. No cops." After it was sent, she pressed the speed dial for telebanking, angrily pressing buttons on the keypad to advance the menus. The robotic voice finally gave her the information she wanted. “Current balance: $1,500,072. 67. Would you like to hear recent transactions?" 

Aurora almost dropped the phone in astonishment. The balance was wrong, it had to be, but it had been four years since she'd last checked it. She still deposited all the cash Mathias threw at her to ease his guilt, and depending on the week, that might average around two thousand dollars. Decision made, she snapped the phone closed, dropping it back into her bag, then ran down the stairs to where the three men were standing next to the car, talking in hushed tones. 

"Sorry to interrupt," Aurora said, smiling politely at them, then looking directly at Bobby. "I don't want to inconvenience any of you any more than I already have, so how much would you charge me to tow this into Sioux Falls to a garage to be fixed?" Her gaze shifted between the three of them, and she wasn't sure what to make of their expressions. Bobby looked shocked, Sam looked relieved, and Dean looked—disappointed? 

"Oh, I don't know, probably not more than $150." Bobby cleared his throat, not looking at her, his gaze fixed on Dean, who averted his eyes. No one said anything, and Aurora sighed in exasperation. 

"Look, I could fix the damn thing myself if I had the proper garage to work on it, but I don't. The two of you are clearly put out by my presence here, and I need my car. I have three weeks until my term starts, and I am now the proud owner of nothing but what you see on my body." She was almost frantic now, the stress of the last few days a growing pressure gathering behind her eyes, threatening to trigger a migraine. That's just what she needed, on top of everything else. She turned and walked away from them without another word, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. 

Once Aurora was out of earshot, Bobby turned on Dean. "You damn idjit. Are you happy now?" Dean opened his mouth to answer, but Sam interjected. 

"It's better that way, and you know it," Sam interjected. Bobby rounded on him, giving him a hard glare. 

"And you! You're acting like this is the first time in your whole life Dean hasn't listened to you. Suck it up, princess, it's done now, so shut the hell up and deal with what comes next." Sam returned Bobby's glare, then turned and stalked toward the porch, stopping at the bottom of the steps and turning back toward them.

"Did it ever occur to either of you that I am trying to protect her? So she doesn't end up like Jess?" He turned away, hesitating before going up the stairs.

"It's too late for that, Sam, demons torched her car. She'd be dead already if we'd left her there, and you know it as well as I do. The question is, were they after her?" Dean's question hung in the air as silence fell between them. Sam sighed, climbing the steps with heavy footsteps. Dean was right, and he knew it, but that only made it worse. If demons were after Aurora, it was only a matter of time before they'd try again. He knew too well the guilt that came with seeing an innocent person die and not saving them. If demons came for her and Dean couldn't protect her, he'd carry that guilt forever. 

Sam's hand had just touched the door handle when Aurora let out a blood-curdling scream. Dean ran around the house at a full sprint, Bobby and Sam behind him. Aurora lay sprawled across a limp body, her eyes squeezed shut, murmuring in Latin as a thick cloud of black smoke hovered over them. The three of them skidded to a stop, and between gulps of air recited the exorcism ritual. The shadow vanished, but Aurora didn't move or open her eyes. 

"Aurora." Dean kneeled beside her, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently. Her eyes flew open, and she screamed, recoiling from his touch. "Aurora." His voice was firmer now, and her eyes focused, recognizing him. He took her by the arms, helping her to her feet, and she collapsed against him, sobbing. Wrapping his arms around her, he rubbed her back, trying to calm her. When her sobs quieted, Aurora pulled away from his embrace, swiping angrily at her tears and staring at the ground. 

"What happened?" Sam asked. His voice was soft, unlike the other times he'd spoken to her, and she looked at him with narrow eyes. Her face was flushed, both from crying and embarrassment. 

"I was looking for a number in my phone. When I looked up, she was standing there, next to that pile of cars. Her eyes turned black, and I remember screaming, then she pulled a knife and charged me. I started reciting the exorcism ritual, at least the part I'd read last night before I fell asleep. She stopped, slitting her own throat before a black cloud flew out of her mouth, and she collapsed. By then, I'd reached the end of the ritual that I'd read, and the thing tried to fly toward me, and I didn't know what else to do, so I covered her and repeated the part I knew, thinking that maybe it would keep the thing from coming back. Then you guys came. There was so much blood, though." She held up her trembling hands, wet and sticky with the demon meatsuit's drying blood, then looked down at her once white peasant top, now stained scarlet and clinging to her body. A strangled shriek escaped her lips when she looked at Dean and saw he was stained with blood too. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm so sorry."

She hadn't lowered her hands, just stared at them as though they weren't really hers. Dean reached out and took them into his own, getting her attention. She stared at him, into those green eyes she could so easily get lost in, and for a moment she forgot everything else. Reality came crashing in around her a half-second later, and she started crying again. "It's alright now," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her toward the house. "Come on, let's get cleaned up." He glanced over his shoulder as they rounded the corner to the back of the house to see Bobby and Sam setting fire to the body. 

Dean led Aurora into the house, straight to the bathroom. She moved, trancelike, nodding as he showed her how to work the shower and where the towels were. "I'll go see if I have a clean shirt you can put on when you're done so we can wash your clothes." He left her alone then, closing the door behind him. She stared around the bathroom blankly, trying to quell the rising urge to scream again. Determined not to do that, instead, she turned on the shower like Dean showed her, setting it to the hottest temperature she could stand, then dropped her ruined clothes into a bloody pile on the floor. The bathroom filled with steam as she stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain behind her, and let the scalding water run in pink rivulets down her body, disappearing down the drain. 

Dean pushed open the bathroom door just enough to slide his arm through, and billowing steam escaped from the room, warming his face. He tried and failed to keep his mind focused on his task, which was delivering the shirt, and not on Aurora showering on the other side of the door. Annoyed with himself, he dropped the shirt on the surface nearest the door, pulling it closed a little harder than he intended. He turned from the door as Bobby and Sam entered the house, Sam carrying Aurora's dropped and forgotten bag, both eyeing his seeming departure from the bathroom warily. 

"It's not what it looks like," he muttered, walking to the kitchen. Sam smirked, dropping Aurora's bag gently outside the bathroom door as he and Bobby followed. Dean grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, then realizing it wasn't even noon, put it back, and slammed the door. What the hell had just happened? He rolled his shoulders, feeling the knots of tension between them growing, and he wanted to hit something.

Aurora stepped out of the tub, her skin a deep pink from the heat of the shower. Toweling off, she stepped out of the shower and found a button-down flannel shirt and a well-worn t-shirt lying on the corner of the sink. The oversized shirt hung loose on her frame, ending just above her knees, and for the first time in her life, she was thankful she wasn't taller. She finger brushed her damp curls, wishing she had something to put her unruly hair up. Sighing, she pulled the belt from her shorts, fastening it around her waist, then with one last look in the mirror, she opened the door and tripped over her bag. "Shit." She scooped it up in one hand, rummaging to find a hair tie with the other, then dropped the bag to put up her hair and wrapped her blood-soaked shirt in the towel from her head. 

Leaving her bag and clothes in a pile in the hall, Aurora walked to the kitchen where Bobby, Sam, and Dean sat around the table chatting. They fell silent as she walked into the room, making her suspicious they were talking about her. Choosing to ignore this, she looked at Bobby. "Can I have some water?"

"Sure, help yourself." Bobby gestured toward the refrigerator, and Aurora pulled out a bottle, draining half of it. No one else had spoken yet, and it was irritating her. She took the bottle away from her mouth and stared them all down.

"What?" She demanded, glaring at them. Sam cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable, and Dean wouldn't look at her. Her gaze settled on Bobby, who cast a disapproving glance at the other two but said nothing. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and stomped into the library, closing the door behind her. Why the hell was everyone acting so weird? She sat down on the couch, tucking her feet under her and flipped open her phone, sending another quick text to Tara, and she snapped it closed just as the door opened and Sam, Dean, and Bobby entered, sitting in chairs around the room. "Are you guys just going to come in here and stare some more? Or do you actually have something to say?" 

"Sorry about their lack of manners," Bobby said, ignoring her cocked eyebrow. "I did have a couple of questions about earlier if you don't mind." Aurora shook her head, and he continued. "Why did you only partly exorcise that demon? And how did you know how to do it?"

"Like I said, it was the only part of the ritual I'd read before falling asleep." She looked at him in confusion, and he shook his head, chuckling.

"I mean, it took these boys months to memorize the exorcism ritual, and you read part of it once and recited that part perfectly?" 

"Oh. That." She tapped her temple with an index finger. "Photographic memory. I can read something once and recall it perfectly every time. That's why I only knew part of it; I fell asleep before I'd finished reading. If I'd known I would need that info so soon, I would have forced myself to read the rest of it." She chuckled, and Bobby nodded, still skeptical, but her answer made sense to him.

"You spoke the words perfectly, though. Most people can't do that after just reading something," Sam said, his curiosity outweighing his suspicion of her, and she regarded him with a look of bland disinterest, as though he'd asked the most mundane question ever. 

"I was raised Catholic, butI don't see the inside of a church now except for Christmas and Easter. Also, my father is a lawyer. Latin is one of the three languages I speak, read, and write fluently." Her voice was calm, though not unfriendly. "I have a question. You guys seem to be very suspicious of me. Do you think I'm one of those—things?" An involuntary shudder went through her as she spoke, and Bobby gave her a tight smile. 

"No. We know you're not." She raised an eyebrow, not understanding, and he continued. "You're not afraid of silver, which means you're not a werewolf or shapeshifter, and the bottled water you've been drinking is part holy water. If you were a demon, you'd either refuse to drink it all together, or it would burn you if you did. It's just that we're not sure why you're here now, or why demons decided to torch your car." 

"Wait—what? _Demons_ did that to my car? What the hell?" She coughed, bringing her voice back to normal, looking around the room at the three of them. "Why?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, but that god awful smell when we picked up your car? That was sulfur, and it's a positive sign demons were involved if you smell it." Dean spoke for the first time since she'd entered the kitchen. "Do you have any guesses?" He searched her face, as though she were hiding the secrets of the known universe and refusing to share them.

"No." She shook her head. "None. Dude, everything happened the way I said it did. I was on the interstate headed toward Sioux Falls and about a mile before where you guys found me my car made a loud thunk, but seemed alright. Then it did it again, and I stopped to check it out, burned the hell out of my hand on a busted radiator hose, and you guys stopped and picked me up." She held up her bare hand as proof, the outline of where she'd grabbed the hose still angry red across her fingers, and tiny blisters formed along the edges of the burns.

"Did you see anyone, talk to anyone wherever you stopped last?" Bobby asked, and she shook her head again. 

"No, I stopped in Austin for fuel, bought a bottle of water and a candy bar, then left. I didn't speak to anyone but the cashier, and no one said anything or approached me either." Aurora said, closing her eyes as though to get a better image of her memories. She shook her head in frustration and opened her eyes. "So what does that mean? Are they after me?" 

"Hard to say," Bobby said, rubbing his chin. "One thing's for sure, you need to read the rest of that exorcism ritual, and don't leave the house by yourself, make sure one of us is with you. The house is warded so they can't get in, but you're fair game out there. We don't intend to hold you prisoner here, it's only for your protection. I wouldn't want your father to think you're being held against your will." Aurora nodded, shock leaving her face a blank canvas. She stared at the floor, seeing nothing, not understanding how she'd gotten here. 

"I get it, and as long as you don't try to ransom me, he won't give a damn. Since I chose to go to college here instead of Chicago, he pretends I don't exist when I'm not home for a break." Her mouth formed into a tight smile as she took a drink from the water bottle she'd been holding, avoiding everyone's gaze. "But, if I can't leave how will I fix my car? I know you guys don't have time to deal with that and whatever else is going on, but it seems like you're stuck with me now, at least for a bit." 

"It'll be fine. We'll figure it out." Sam spoke with little conviction, but the others nodded in agreement. "You said you know how to fix it, right?" Aurora tilted her head, curious where he was going with that question.

"I can," she said slowly. "Is this where you guys make some sexist remark about me being a girl? Because if it is, save it. I've heard it before, and I get it enough elsewhere in my life." She looked away, and Sam shook his head.

"No, that's not what I was going to say. I just meant the more people we have to work on it, the faster it can get running again. Dean works on the Impala all the time, so if you two work together and Bobby helps when he can, it should be drivable by the time your term starts." Dean looked at Sam, frowning. 

"It's not that simple, Sam. Where are we going to get the parts? There aren't enough usable parts in the entire salvage yard to make one Chevelle, and since it's going to need literally _everything_ , it will take a lot longer than three weeks just to get parts here, and then however long it takes to put them on. It's not enough time." Dean leaned back in the chair, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. 

"I can get the parts, and I can have them here in a few days. I just need to know what to order, which means I need to go out there and tear my car apart," Aurora said flatly, glancing out the window behind her, then turned back to the others. "But first, I need to get some different clothes. Yes, this makes an awesome shirtdress, but it's not really the best thing for climbing under a car, if you know what I mean. Since all of my belongings were in the trunk of the car, I'm pretty sure everything got torched." 

Dean lifted his head and glared at her. "I know you're used to snapping your fingers back home and things happening, but news flash princess, the rest of the world doesn't work that way. Half of what that car will need will be difficult, and _expensive_ to find, and you think you're just going to call up an auto part store and pick the stuff from a menu?" He huffed, shaking his head and looking away. Aurora's face turned scarlet, and she stood, her body trembling with suppressed anger. 

"First, don't _ever_ call me princess again. If you do, you'll be wearing your balls as a hat. Second, I can get the parts because I worked out a deal with the owner of the garage where I rebuilt this car when I first bought it. He gets me any and all parts I need within three days, at cost, and I don't tell his wife what really goes on at his Saturday night poker games, and since the last time he got busted, it was my testimony that kept him from doing 15-25 years, he owes me. The thing is Dean, you really shouldn't assume you know things about people before taking the time to actually get to know them, although that means you'd have to give a damn about something other than your car, Bobby, or Sam. Not really your thing is it?" She shot him a saccharine smile, then stalked from the library to the bathroom. If she couldn't leave the house entirely, she did the next best thing and left the room. She picked up the towel, holding her ruined shirt and ran some water into the sink, then dropped the shirt in and started scrubbing. 

Dean glared at the doorway she'd disappeared through, frustrated beyond words. What gave her the right to call him out like that? For someone who had just told him not to judge, she'd certainly made a few judgments herself. The problem was, his assumptions were wrong, hers weren't. He looked at Bobby and Sam, who were glaring at him. 

"What?" He held his arms wide, then laced his fingers behind his head. "What did I say?" 

"Are you _trying_ to make this harder?" Bobby demanded, and when Dean looked confused, he shook his head. "Idjit."

"What do you want me to do then? Beg for forgiveness? Maybe she should be the one to apologize."

Sam snorted, and Dean glared at him. "What does she have to apologize for? She didn't ask for any of this, and we all know begging for forgiveness is also not really your thing, Dean," Sam said, using air quotes to emphasize the words Aurora said, and Dean's face flushed in anger. 

"So you're with her now? Yesterday you thought her being here is a distraction and now everything's fine? Make up your mind, Sammy, you're giving me whiplash here." Dean stood up, stomping into the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator, slamming the door so hard the entire appliance shuddered, then twisting off the cap and flinging it toward the trash can.

"That's enough!" Bobby's voice cut through the haze of Dean's rage and brought both of them to attention. "How about you start with a peace offering? No begging involved. She's right, she'll need something else to wear to work on the car besides what she has. Why don't you offer to take her into Sioux Falls so she can pick up some things? After apologizing for being an ass, of course. And you, Sam, need to stop treating her like the enemy. She's not stupid, and even if she was, your disdain for her presence is still obvious." 

"It's not disdain," Sam muttered, getting a raised eyebrow from Bobby. Dean set the full bottle on the kitchen table, and without a word, left the room. He knew Bobby was right, what he'd said was out of line, but why should he care if Aurora liked him or not? Once her car was fixed, he'd never see her again. So why did the thought bother him so much?

As he approached, light spilled into the hallway from the open bathroom door, and he could hear the faint sounds of water sloshing in the sink. He knocked gently on the door frame, then leaned against it, watching her. Her elbows rested on the sides of the sink, her head bowed over them, concentrating on the stained shirt. The water in the basin below was stained pink, and tiny sweat beads had popped out across her forehead, making her skin glisten in the light. She didn't acknowledge him, which he figured was on purpose.

"Look," he started, and she continued to ignore him, but he pressed on. "I was an ass earlier. If you'll leave that to soak some more, we can go into the city and you can replace some of your stuff." She didn't answer, leaving an awkward silence between them, save the sloshing water in the sink. After an interminable moment, she stopped scrubbing, dropping the shirt into the sink. She ran her arm across her forehead and looked up at him, sapphire blue eyes glinting in the light. 

"Aren't you afraid I'll want you to take me to the mall?" The sneer in her voice was unmistakable, although her face remained passive, and he kicked himself for being a jerk. Everything about this woman confused him, and he hated it.

"God I hope not, but it's your dime, so…" He shrugged, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips. She stared at him warily for a moment longer, then dropped her chin to her chest and stretched her back, using the sink as an anchor.

"Fine," she said, standing up straight, "When do you want to go?" The flatness of her voice seemed odd to him, but he dismissed it quickly. Whatever was going on with her beyond the dumb comments he made was none of his concern. 

"How about now? If we hurry, we might have some time to get there and back and start dismantling the car before it gets dark." 

"Let's go, then." Aurora moved toward the doorway as Dean pushed away from the door frame, picking up her bag as she exited, flipping off the light and following Dean down the hallway.

"We'll be back," Dean called down the hall, not waiting for an answer. He pushed open the screen door, holding it for her, then let it slam and jogged toward the Impala. "Where do you want to go?" he asked once they were settled inside the car. 

"Any thrift shop will do," she replied. Dean raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not expecting that response, and she frowned at him. "Your judgments are showing, Dean." 

"Sorry." He cleared his throat and started the car. The day was warm, but not hot, so they rolled the windows down, enjoying the breeze as they rode toward the interstate. Music blared through the speakers, barely audible over the sound of the wind, but they sang along anyway. 

The song ended, and Aurora turned to look at Dean, tucking a stray curl the wind had caught back behind her ear. He didn't take his eyes off the road, but a half-smile curved his lips. She'd noticed he didn't smile often, and she supposed given his chosen profession, there wasn't really much to smile about. 

"You could be a singer, you know," she said, teasing. He raised an eyebrow in question, glancing at her, then back to the road. "I think the alley cats behind my apartment could use a fourth to complete their harmony." He snorted, and she grinned at him. 

"Why? Did they kick you out of the group?" he retorted, his smile widening. She made a face, sticking out her tongue as she tried not to laugh. 

"Of course not, I'm the lead vocalist. Didn't you know?" They were still laughing when Dean parked the car in front of the thrift shop, turning off the engine. "You don't have to come in," she said when he moved to get out of the car. "I'll be alright." She climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her.

He shook his head, pulling the door handle. "Bobby said you weren't to go anywhere without one of us, so I'm going in. Just try to be quick, okay?" Aurora stared at him over the top of the car, unsure if he was serious.

"Well, that'll make trips to the bathroom a bit awkward," she muttered, shaking her head and turning to enter the shop. He frowned at the back of her head but said nothing, following her inside. 

One hour and a little over fifty dollars later, Aurora had replaced all of her torched clothing and had three outfits specifically for working on the car. Pleased with herself, she tossed the bags into the backseat, climbing into the car. "I'm hungry, there's a 24-hour diner near the college that has the best bacon cheeseburgers and chili fries. I've been craving them since I left in May." When he said nothing, she added, "My treat? Please?" Afraid he was about to say no, she stuck her bottom lip out slightly in a pout.

"You had me at bacon cheeseburger," he said, trying desperately to catch his breath and starting the car as she grinned at him like a child who just got exactly what she'd asked for. As he backed out of the parking space, he wondered just how wrong—and how right—he'd been about her. 

The diner was nearly empty as they slid into a corner both, giving their order to the waitress. There was an odd silence between them, neither wanting to speak in fear of breaking the fragile connection they'd formed. Aurora ran her finger around the rim of her water glass as condensation rolled down the sides, pooling into a wet ring on the table beneath it. 

Dean watched her, the same look of absolute concentration on her face as she studied her water glass as he'd seen earlier when she was scrubbing the stains out of her shirt. Her head shot up when he cleared his throat, the clear sapphire blue of her eyes startling him, as they had every time she'd looked directly at him. "Look, I'm sorry I've been an ass. You're right, I don't know enough about you to assume anything. That being said, I am curious why you reacted so badly to being called princess. I figure it has something to do with family." 

Aurora tensed, remaining silent until the waitress returned with their order. Once the waitress left, Aurora took a bite of the burger and closed her eyes in pleasure, a small groan escaping her lips as the flavors burst like tiny fireworks on her taste buds. She swallowed, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"It was my mother. She called me princess, and she left me with my father when I was five." Dean swallowed his bite of burger. The haunted look in her eyes made him want to pull her close and protect her from the world, and he wondered why. He'd never thought about anyone else that way, and it unnerved him.

"Where is she now? Do you know?" He asked, as gently as he could. Aurora flinched at the question, then took a bite of her chili fries.

"Dead." She swallowed, not looking at him. "Around six months after she left my father, the police found her with a needle in her arm. They said it was an overdose." She dropped her gaze to her plate, her appetite gone now, and picked small pieces off her burger.

"What do you think?" Dean asked, sensing what she wasn't saying. She shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Do you think something else happened to her?"

"I don't know! I was five!" The words burst from her mouth, and she clamped her lips together to keep from saying anything else. She took a couple deep breaths, and once she calmed, tried to speak again. "All I remember is the police officer who came to the house said she had a needle in her arm and she was dead, then mentioned the needle was in her left arm, and my father got really agitated and they went outside together. I didn't think anything of it at the time because I was so young, but the older I got the more it bothered me. If the needle was in her left arm, there's no way she could have injected herself. She was left-handed." 

"Do you think your father killed her?" Dean asked, pushing his own plate away. 

"No." Her voice was firm. "No, I don't believe he killed her, because it's not his way. He wouldn't get his hands dirty like that. But I am positive he had something to do with it. Either he planned her murder himself, or he paid someone else to do it. Most likely the second one, so if he was ever questioned he could deny everything." 

"Did you ever tell anyone?" he asked. Aurora gave him a sharp look, picking up another fry, and he regretted asking. 

"Of course not," she snapped, "She left him, and she wound up dead not even six months later. What would he do to me if he thought I suspected he had anything to do with it?. Yes, she was an addict, but that was also his fault. After he broke her arm in three places, the doctors put her on painkillers and by the time her arm healed she was addicted. She couldn't deal with my father anymore, and she took the pills so she didn't have to. My nanny told me that her addiction spiraled out of control and she started doing heroin, and she ended up owing her dealer money. He threatened to kidnap and sell me to the highest bidder to cover my mother's debt and to keep that from happening, she left in the middle of the night to work off her debt as his whore, and I never saw her alive again." Her voice was thick as she tried to speak around the lump that formed in her throat. 

"I'm so sorry," Dean whispered, and Aurora shrugged, uncomfortable. 

"It is what it is. So, what about your parents? I'm sure that has to be a happier story than mine right?" She gave him a tight smile, then saw the flash of pain in his eyes.

"Mom died when I was four and Sam was six months old, killed by a yellow-eyed demon. Dad got obsessed with hunting the thing down and the rest is history." Silence fell between them, each concentrating on choking down their remaining food, although neither had any appetite anymore.

"So where's your dad now?" Aurora asked, bracing herself for the answer.

"He's dead. He made a deal with the same demon that killed our mom to save my life."

"I'm sorry." Aurora could think of nothing else to say that could even begin to cover that one, and silence fell between them. He sighed, dropping his napkin on the table. Aurora did the same, dropping a twenty on the table and standing up, stretching. 

"Well, let's go get started, shall we?" She smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. As he followed her to the car, his mind wandered back to what Bobby said that morning, and he pushed the thought quickly away as he climbed in and started the car. It didn't matter anyway; he just had to keep telling himself that she'd be gone soon.

The ride back to Bobby's was quiet, and Aurora wished they'd had chosen a lighter topic of conversation than dead parents and the childhood traumas associated with it. She stared out the window, the breeze ruffling her hair and drowning out the silence between them, but not the thoughts in her head. Once they got back to Bobby's, they parked the car in the driveway, and Bobby poked his head out from under the hood of her car, wiping his hands on a rag.

"What's the damage?" Aurora asked although she had a feeling she didn't really want to know.

"Well, on first look it doesn't seem too bad, but won't know much more than that until we get the motor pulled and taken apart." Aurora nodded, wondering why he tried to sugarcoat the answer, but let it go. 

"Well," she said, grabbing the bags from the backseat of the Impala, "let me get changed and we can get to it." She headed up the steps, pausing at the door and turning back to them. "Got a stereo? I find dismantling cars goes a lot faster when there's music blaring." She disappeared into the house, leaving Bobby and Dean shaking their heads behind her.

Aurora reappeared a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of cutoff shorts and a tank top. Dean looked up at the sound of the screen door and almost dropped his side of the Chevelle's hood he and Bobby were in the middle of removing. 

"Talk about a damn distraction." He hadn't intended to say it out loud, but Bobby's snicker at hearing it made Dean's cheeks flush with something other than exertion. 

Having not heard this, Aurora set about dismantling the car's interior while the others focused on the motor. Soot and scorch marks covered every surface of the vehicle, making her want to cry. It was an almost impossible task set before her now, but it wasn't the first. After all, wasn't her life just a series of impossible tasks? She'd survived 100% of those so far, she'd get through this too. She grunted as she jerked the melted steering wheel free, glancing up to see the engine being hoisted up over the chassis. Damn, they worked fast. Not that she was complaining, but it would take no time to get the car apart at this rate. Shrugging, she went back to disassembling the interior.

"Need some help?" Dean's sweat and soot-stained face appeared inside the busted window frame of the passenger door. Aurora glanced at Bobby, who was already busy deconstructing the engine. 

"Sure." She shrugged at him, concentrating on the melted wiring she was trying to tug free as he opened the door and removed it, then did the same with the burned seat. She glanced over at him, unable to resist the comment that came to mind. "Have some experience tearing apart cars?" Her eyebrow lifted in mock judgment, as though she thought he'd once worked for a chop shop, and he stopped, regarding her. Seeing the laughter in her eyes, he rolled his.

"Uh, you do realize we're in a salvage yard, right?" He gestured around them. "You think I pull parts for baby out of my ass?" One corner of his mouth lifted, daring her to answer. 

"Well, I guess parts for your car would be preferable to some of the shit your ass has spewed since I've met you." Aurora chewed her lip and tried not to smile, but Dean's look of mock indignation made it difficult. Bobby choked and dropped the socket he was using, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter as he bent to pick it up.

"You wanna know something?" Bobby said nonchalantly. Aurora and Dean both looked at him, waiting for him to answer his own question. "This has been good behavior for him."

"Well, if that's his good behavior, I don't know if I want to see his bad behavior." With a final jerk, Aurora loosened the dash wire harness, pulling it free.

"Trust me, you don't," Sam said as he walked down the steps carrying four bottles of water. He wasn't smiling as he handed them out, and Aurora wasn't sure if he was serious. Dean gave him a long look, then shrugged, winking at Aurora.

"Well I guess since you've all decided it's gang up on Dean time, you can fix this scrap heap by yourselves. I'll be over there—not working my ass off." He started to leave the car, but Aurora's voice stopped him. 

"Oh, please, no! What will I do if the big, strong man decides he won't help little old me?" She put her hands to her cheeks in mock horror, then dropped them. "Oh, that's right, I got this." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as silence fell over them. She tilted her head, batting her eyelashes innocently, a saccharine smile on her lips. Dean glanced back at her, bursting into laughter at her expression as everyone else did the same. He lay down on the floor where the passenger seat once sat and worked on getting the dash ready for removal, still snickering. 

They worked in companionable silence for a long time, the stereo blaring. Bobby stripped the engine down to the block, letting his mind wander and glancing over to where Aurora and Dean were working. Maybe her being here was a coincidence, or maybe it was something else entirely, but he couldn't remember a time he ever saw Dean relaxed, the way he was now. Aurora was the distraction to Dean that Sam claimed her to be, but was that really an awful thing for the brief time she'd be in their lives? He even enjoyed her presence here; if only Sam stopped scowling, things would be almost great. Dropping the tools into the toolbox, he wiped his hands and started toward the house. 

Sam looked up from his laptop as Bobby entered the kitchen, but said nothing. Bobby went to the sink, scrubbing his hands as best he could, ignoring the feeling of Sam's eyes boring into the back of his head. Drying his hands on a towel, he turned toward Sam, dropping the towel onto the countertop. "What's on your mind, son? You got something to say, I can see it."

Sam sighed, shaking his head and lowering his eyes back to his laptop. "I have nothing against her, it's just-"

"She's distracting Dean from what you think is important." Bobby finished the sentence for him, and Sam shrugged. 

"It isn't just that. She reminds me quite a bit of Jess and it's difficult. I miss her, and…" His voice trailed off as Bobby opened the refrigerator, pulling two bottles out and setting one in front of Sam. Sam picked it up, twisting off the top and taking a long drink. Gathering his thoughts, he pressed on. "I guess just seeing how they are together irritates me. Why should he get to have something like that? I was out of this life and he pulled me back in and it cost me the woman I love and I just... wish he knew what that pain felt like." 

Bobby pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, trying to decide where to start. He wanted to tell Sam to stop being a selfish baby, but he wasn't entirely wrong to feel the way he did. "Do you think you somehow deserve to be happy but no one else does? Let me tell you something, you're only able to sit there and wallow like a spoiled brat because of Dean. He was the one who spent what should have been his childhood raising you because your father couldn't see past his anger and grief and someone had to do it. And you know as well as I do that Jess's death had nothing to do with Dean showing up. It would have happened even if he hadn't been there, because Dean wasn't the one that drew you back to this life, Sam. You never left it, not completely. So I think you should be grateful and realize that this life won't give either of you many opportunities to be happy. Let him have this, and when she's gone, you'll get your brother back." 

A shriek of laughter floated in through the open door, and Sam rolled his eyes, going back to his laptop. Bobby got up and walked to the door to see Dean chasing Aurora around the Chevelle, spraying her with the hose. Dean's hair and shirt were wet where Aurora had dumped water on him, but she was drenched, the shorter curls of her hair falling from her bun and sticking to her neck. Bobby turned back toward the kitchen, shaking his head. Well, that's one less person who'll need a shower today. 

"I yield!" Aurora cried, laughing and holding her hands up in surrender as water dripped from her nose. Her tank top was soaked, clinging everywhere and accentuating the curves of her body. Dean turned off the hose, dropping it on the ground and trying not to stare like some hormonal teenage boy.

"That'll teach you not to start things you can't finish," he growled at her playfully, and she stuck her lip out in a pout that made his heart skip a beat.

"But," she said, sticking her lip out further and giving him puppy dog eyes, stepping closer until she was standing in front of him. He didn't notice her hands hidden behind her back, as fixated as he was on her lips. "But you looked so hot. I thought you wanted to… cool off!" She pulled the hidden bottles from behind her back, dumping the contents over his head. He growled again, shaking his head like a dog and coating her in water droplets, making her giggle.

They stared at each other for a few moments, neither speaking. Aurora swallowed hard, getting lost in his eyes, trying to decide if she wanted whatever might come next. Just as she'd made her decision, the screen door slammed, and Sam appeared, looking sour. The spell was broken, and they both turned and looked at Sam. "Bobby says food's ready," and looking at Aurora distastefully, "so get dried off and come inside." He turned on his heel and went back into the house, slamming the door behind him.


	3. August 2006 - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wraps up the August 2006 arc of the story. There's a little over a one year time jump in the next chapter.

_**August 2006 - Part 3** _

Dean turned back to Aurora, but her smile was gone, along with any traces of the girl he'd seen just seconds before, her expression going blank as a stone. The only indication she gave that she felt anything was the sadness he saw in her eyes. Without a word, she turned away from him and disappeared into the house. He leaned against the car, staring up at the sky. Why the hell was Sam acting weird? Deciding he didn't want to even try to answer that question, he sighed and pushed off the car. He went into the house, joining everyone around the table and realizing how Aurora seemed to just fit there with them. _Stop it!_ He sat down, the smell of fried bologna filling his nose and making his stomach growl.

"So, what is this? Aurora asked, taking a bite of the bologna and gooey cheese, wiping a string from her chin. 

"Well it definitely isn't champagne and caviar," Sam snapped.

"Really, Sam?" Dean growled. Sam glared at Dean, taking another bite of his sandwich. Bobby glared at Sam, wishing he could just smack the attitude out of him. He took a deep breath to stay calm, and Aurora sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"No, it isn't." Her voice was as emotionless as her face, but her eyes sparkled with fury. "It's better. Caviar is disgusting and salty, and champagne is too sweet and bubbly for me. You should also stop assuming things you know nothing about, Sam." She smiled sweetly at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. Not breaking eye contact, she took another bite of her sandwich. Sam's face flushed, and he quickly looked away, his jaw muscle twitching. 

"But seriously, what is this? I've never had it before," she asked, looking at Bobby. His eyebrows shot up, eyes widening.

"You've never had bologna before?" His voice was incredulous, and even Dean was looking at her like she was from another planet. She shook her head slowly, realizing that it must be what her father referred to as 'poor people food.' 

"No, I haven't. Any food my father considered inferior wasn't allowed in the house. He saw it as giving us the best of everything, but most of the food the chef made I hated."

"But how did you get through your first year of college without experiencing bologna? Isn't that a staple food of college students?" Dean asked, and Aurora shrugged, finishing her sandwich. They finished their food in silence, darkness falling across the yard outside. When everyone had finished, Aurora stood up, gathering the empty plates and carrying them to the sink to wash them.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded, and Aurora dropped the sponge into the sink and rounded on him. 

"What the hell does it look like, Sam? I thought I'd wash the dishes since everyone is being _so nice_ and putting up with me, but your attitude leaves me wondering if me simply existing is offensive to you. If I have done something to offend you besides that, I apologize, but if I haven't, your issue with me is your own and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself." She turned back to the sink, picking up the sponge with a trembling hand. Tears gathered on her lashes, and she scrubbed the plates harder than necessary, taking out her frustration on them. 

Dean glared at Sam but said nothing, and Sam scooped up his laptop and went upstairs. Bobby sighed, rubbing his forehead, and Dean went to the sink and picked up a towel, drying the plates Aurora washed. They worked in silence, and Bobby wondered if there was an unspoken conversation between them. When the dishes were put away, Aurora turned to Bobby. 

"Thank you, by the way, for everything. I know it's been difficult since I've been here, and I just want you to know that I'm grateful." Unable to speak, he nodded to her, and she returned the gesture, then went into the library, closing the door behind her and leaving the two of them alone. 

Aurora skimmed the bookshelves, finding the book she read the night before and sitting down on the couch, spreading the book across her lap. She heard footsteps in the hallway but didn't look up to see who it was, assuming they were going upstairs. Feeling like there were eyes on her, Aurora looked up and saw Dean leaning against the door frame. She smiled at him, swallowing hard as her heart skipped. 

He crossed the room, sitting on the couch next to her. Aurora stared at the book in her lap, hyper-aware of his presence next to her, and wondered if he felt it too. It didn't matter anyway, whatever it was could only be, at best, a fleeting moment between them, and she wondered halfheartedly if maybe that was for the best. They might dull each other's pain for a while, but that's all it could ever be. The thought made her sad, and she pushed it away. She looked up to see him watching her, an odd expression on his face. "What's on your mind?" 

He didn't say anything, just took the book from her lap and closed it, setting it aside. "Did you finish reading the exorcism ritual?" It was a simple question, and she cocked an eyebrow at him. She decided to play along, although she had a feeling that's not what he really wanted to know. 

"Yes, I did."

"Prove it." There was a challenge in his tone, and something else she wasn't quite sure about. She closed her eyes and recited the whole ritual without missing a syllable. "I'm impressed. Bobby and I had a bet going. I guess I owe him a six-pack the next time I'm in town." Aurora smiled at him, tucking a curl behind her ear, amused they were betting on her memory. 

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "This will sound silly, but I realized earlier that I don't know your last name, or even how old you and Sam are, and you know both those things about me." He stared at her for a moment, blinking, then shrugged. 

"Okay, that's easy enough. Winchester. I'm 27, Sam is 23 going on 2 right now." He looked away then, trying to decide how much more to say. "I'm sorry about Sam. He's been a jerk, and he's not usually like that. Try not to take it personally. His girlfriend died last year the same way our mother did, and he hasn't handled it well. You look a little like her, I think."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry for his loss, that must be a terrible thing to go through. Doesn't give him the right to be a jerk to me though." She folded her hands, twisting her fingers, a nervous habit she'd picked up over the years. 

"No, it doesn't." He spoke quietly, and she waved in dismissal, chewing on her lip. Her thoughts jumbled around in her head, bumping and shoving each other until she felt like her head might explode. 

"Thank you." It was the only thought that traveled coherently from brain to mouth. On an impulse, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, and heat warmed her face at his look of surprise. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She looked away quickly, refusing to meet his gaze. After trying for several moments to get her to look at him, he gave up and cupped her face in his hands, turning it gently toward him. In her stubborn way, she still refused to look at him, closing her eyes. He chuckled, shaking his head, but he didn't let go of her.

She felt him tracing his thumbs gently over her high, delicate cheekbones, and she ran her tongue across her full lips, struggling to breathe with him so close, touching her. She started to move out of his grasp, but stopped, squeaking with surprise when she felt his lips on her own. Her heart leaped into her throat, her pulse pounding in her ears, and when his tongue probed her lips, seeking entrance, she melted into the kiss, burying her fingers in his hair and pulling him closer. 

Even as the kiss ended, she knew. She let her guard down, and in just two days, he'd stolen her heart. It wasn't as though she was an inexperienced girl; she found as many ways to rebel against her father's tyranny as possible—sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll were the themes by which she'd lived her life. She'd had plenty of first kisses, one-night stands, alcohol and drug-induced hookups, but she never lost her heart. She kept that well-guarded, or so she'd thought, but she'd never felt such an intense feeling of being _home_ before now.

Aurora opened her eyes to find Dean staring at her. The odd expression was back, and she decided that she might give anything to know what he was thinking now. He kissed her again, softly, then let go of her. He stood up, clearing his throat. 

"Good night, Aurora." His voice was thick, and she wanted to reach out and take his hand, to ask him to stay with her, but she didn't. She couldn't ask that of him, not now. It didn't matter how she felt; she knew instinctively it wasn't mutual, at least not to the same degree.

"Good night." The thickness of her voice matched his, and she stared at the doorway for a long time after he'd disappeared through it. Sighing, she laid down on the couch, staring at the ceiling pattern until sleep overtook her. Her last thought before embracing oblivion was how much leaving would hurt. 

Dean entered the room he currently shared with Sam, lost in thought. Two days, that's all it had taken. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew better! How had he let that happen? That question bothered the hell out of him, and he laid on the bed staring at the ceiling and contemplating his lousy life choices. He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but he knew what he'd felt when he'd touched her, and it was unlike anything else he'd experienced in his life. He wondered if this is what Bobby meant about life only giving a few opportunities to be happy. He was happy at that moment when he thought about it. All of them, except for Sam, had laughed more since she'd come into their lives than they had in months. Aurora distracted him and dulled the pain that seemed to permeate every facet of his life, but he couldn't risk everything, including her life, for his own happiness. That was too much to ask of anyone.

The bed across the room creaked as Sam turned over, facing Dean. Just as he'd thought, Sam wasn't asleep, and he braced himself for whatever it was Sam needed to say. "Are you in love with her?" Sam's voice was barely above a whisper, and Dean was glad that it was dark in the room, so Sam couldn't see his face when he lied to him.

"What?! No, Sam. I'm not." Well, he had believed it until the words came out and hung in the air between them, mixing with the shadows. He heard Sam's snort from the other bed, followed by a sigh.

"You always were a terrible liar." There was humor in his voice, which Dean thought odd given his behavior all day.

"You're the only one I can't lie to." 

"I know. Are you going to tell her?" It was a question Dean hadn't considered before now, and his first instinct was not to tell Aurora anything. The less she knew about how he felt, the less inclined she'd be to stay. If he could bear it, he might be able to pull off some gigantic dick move that would make her leave and never look back.

"No, I'm not going to tell her, and you aren't either." 

"Why not?" Dean turned his head toward Sam, searching for his face in the darkness. What the hell kind of question was that? Sam knew full well why not. He sighed, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. 

"Mom, Jess, anyone that happens to get too close to us, what's the one thing they all have in common, Sam? They're all dead. I don't want that for her too. If she thinks I don't care about her, she'll leave when her car is fixed and hopefully, she'll live a long, happy life far away from me. I mean it, Sam. No one other than the two of us can know about this." Even as he said the words, he loathed the idea of making her hate him, but he could think of nothing else that might keep her safe. 

~~~~~

Two weeks, four days, three demon attacks, and $25,635.97 later, Aurora, Bobby, and Dean completely rebuilt the Chevelle from the chassis. When Aurora and Dean weren't busy with the car, the four of them spent time in the library or kitchen, a tenuous friendship forming between them as Aurora good-naturedly obliged their tests of her photographic memory. Sam had warmed up to her presence, and it made Bobby smile a little to enter the house and hear Aurora, Dean, and Sam arguing about paint colors. It amused him how well the three of them managed to get along when they could agree on almost nothing. 

"Come on, guys! I have to tell the body shop what color before I take it in tomorrow, so focus!" The light tone of her voice floated through the house, and Bobby could picture her sitting on the couch in the library before he reached the door, and he wondered how he'd deal with the place being quiet once she left. 

"I still say it should be black. It's the original color and with how many times I heard you yelling at your guy on the phone to find original parts, not 'aftermarket bullshit', I'm surprised that's not what you're going with." Aurora stuck her tongue out at Dean, who shrugged. "I said what I said."

"What about you, Sam? What do you think?" Aurora looked at him cautiously, wondering what he'd say. Even though they'd formed a tenuous friendship over the past several days, she knew that Sam worried about Dean, and though none of them said anything, Aurora knew why. It was apparent to anyone with eyes that she and Dean were crazy about each other, and they all knew the end was coming soon, and whatever there was between the two of them would end like the summer fling it was. Aurora found herself hoping they might stay friends at least, but she knew that would be hell on her heart. 

Whether she liked it or not, Dean Winchester was it for her, the one that everyone else who came after would be measured against. They'd always fall short because there would never be anyone she loved more, but she knew he didn't feel that way about her. Or if he did, he refused to acknowledge it, something she'd told herself she was okay with. 

"I think it's your car, you should paint it whatever color you want. But if it were me, I'd go with cherry red. It suits you." Aurora rolled her eyes at Sam's response, giving him a lopsided grin. Bobby appeared in the doorway, and they all turned to greet him.

"If you want original colors, the 1970 model had a shade called black cherry red. I saw one once, it was beautiful in the sun. I don't think it was a common color because I never saw another one." Aurora's face brightened at Bobby's suggestion, and she nodded, her curls bouncing. 

"That sounds perfect! I'll call the shop now." She stood from the couch, practically skipping out of the house onto the porch to make the call. 

"How do you do that?" Dean asked, incredulous. "I've been arguing with her for over an hour about the damn color." Bobby shrugged, going to the kitchen and setting down the bag of food he carried.

"Just lucky, I guess. Are you going with her to drop off the car tomorrow?" he asked, changing the subject. Dean went silent and nodded, jaw muscles twitching. They were down to a few days now, not weeks, and he was having a hard time sticking to his original plan of making her hate him. He followed Bobby into the kitchen, standing in the doorway, casting nervous glances down the hallway toward the back door where she'd gone.

"What's on your mind?" Bobby eyed him as he put groceries away, moving about the kitchen and waiting for Dean to respond. With another nervous glance down the hallway, he swallowed.

"It just seems like everything is getting real now, you know? She'll be gone in a few days, and I thought in the beginning it would be easy to see her go, but it's not. It's bothering me a lot more than I planned, especially since…" His voice trailed off, and Bobby finished, sitting down at the table and waiting for him to continue. "I had the plan that I could do something to make her never want to see me again, that way she'd go and not look back and she'd be safe from the bs Sam and I have to deal with. But the closer it comes to time to do it, the less I want to."

"Have you tried, oh I don't know, talking to her?" Bobby asked, knowing full well he hadn't. Dean looked at him as though he'd grown another head, confirming Bobby's assumption.

"What am I supposed to tell her?"

"Tell me about what?" Aurora walked into the kitchen, glancing between the two of them. She kept her face impassive, but her eyes always gave her away. Bobby shot Dean a look, and Dean took her gently by the arm, leading her back outside. "What is it? You're scaring me, Dean."

"I'm sorry. Here's the thing, when it's time for you to go, I need you to do that, okay? I need you to go and not look back. This life isn't for you, Aurora, and I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you because of it." Aurora knew that her heart couldn't physically break from loss, but she felt the shatter of it just the same. She knew this was coming, told herself it was coming every single day since they'd kissed, and it did nothing to curb the impact of his words. Her breathing came in small gasps as her throat tightened, and she looked away.

"I will go," she whispered. "I knew it would be this way, and I knew it would be hell on my heart to do it, but I need something from you first."

"What?" His voice was gruff, thick with emotion, as she stepped in front of him, her face tilted toward his as he gazed down at her.

"Tell me you love me too. Tell me it isn't just me, that's all I want." They stood still as the world seemed to spin around them, and she thought her head might explode as her pulse pounded in her ears. He didn't reply, just pulled her close, bending his head and kissing her hard, trying to tell her without words just how much he loved her. He pulled back, the kiss leaving them both breathless. Without a word, he took her by the hand, leading her to the Impala. He opened the driver door, motioning for her to get inside, and she obeyed, sliding over to the passenger side as he got in behind her and started the car. 

Inside the house, Sam looked up in confusion at the sound, going to the door to see the car's taillights on the road headed away from the salvage yard. "Where the hell are they going?" he said, and Bobby stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"What?"

"They left without saying anything." Annoyance colored Sam's tone, and Bobby's head disappeared back into the kitchen. 

"Don't worry, they'll be back soon. They needed to talk," Bobby said, a slight smile on the edge of his lips as Sam entered the kitchen. "I'm pretty sure we're on our own for dinner tonight."

Dean guided the car off the road and down an overgrown trail that ended along the shore of a small lake, the setting sun glinting off the water. He got out of the car and walked to the front of it to lean on the hood. Aurora followed him, standing next to him. They didn't speak, and he took her hand, pulling her gently to stand in front of him as he put his arms around her waist.

"What is this place?" She breathed, the sun's reflection a brilliant gold on the surface of the water, the small ripples almost hypnotizing. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she laid her head back against his chest. They stayed that way, neither speaking until the sun set and the water had turned dark again. Dean nuzzled her neck, planting kisses in the curve there. She moved away deftly, smiling at him, but her eyes were serious. "Don't you try to distract me, Dean Winchester, you didn't answer me."

"Why? Is it working?" He said, pulling her to him again. She squirmed, not really trying to get free, a mischievous smirk curving her lips. 

"Maybe a little too well," she teased, kissing him. She nipped his lower lip, making him growl at her playfully. He shifted, and she could feel his reaction to her. She kissed him again, and he turned, pressing her against the hood of the car. He lifted her up to sit on the hood, the heat of the metal beneath her backside almost burning her skin, but she didn't notice. He broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt off, then found her lips again. Her fingers wandered all over his bare skin, leaving featherlight touches in some places, and scratches in others. He didn't seem to mind, and he pulled back long enough for her shirt to come off, but instead of going back to her lips, he nipped at her neck, alternating with a trail of kisses across her shoulders. 

He kissed her again, picking her up, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him like she was climbing a tree. He gripped her backside to lift her higher, and she tightened her grip around him in response, and he gave in to everything he'd been fighting since the day he met her. Not breaking their kiss, he carried her around the car, opening the door and laying her down on the seat, then getting in and shutting the door behind him. He'd spend the rest of the night showing her what she wanted so desperately to hear him say—hoping like hell it would be enough.

The first rays of dawn showed pink across the sky when Aurora woke, convinced she'd been dreaming until she felt his real body lying beneath her own. She lifted her head, tracing lined patterns along his skin, leaving trails of gooseflesh behind. Part of her knew they'd been playing with fire the night before, but Dean told her everything she needed to know without saying a single word. She only had three days before it was time for her to go. What the hell would she do then? 

Dean opened an eye, and seeing her, closed it again. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and Aurora was sure it wasn't from just last night. "Good morning." She gave him a faint, sleepy smile, her chin resting on his chest, and he looked at her again, blinking her face into focus. 

"Morning." He closed his eyes again, both against the light and to not see her. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was quite the opposite. He wanted more than anything to see her like that every morning, giving him that sleepy smile, her tousled curls going in all directions. She was beautiful, and she loved him, despite all his broken pieces. His chest tightened when he thought about her leaving in three days. How the hell was he supposed to let her go now? 

The morning light grew brighter as the sun rose, pushing out the remnants of the night and leaving nothing behind but the memories. After they dressed, neither spoke as they rode back to Bobby's house, unsure of what to say. He parked the car, but neither made a move to go inside. Finally, Aurora turned toward him. "Is never seeing me again once I'm gone what you want?" 

There was a long pause, and he didn't look at her. She'd started wondering if he planned to answer her at all when he finally spoke. "The only way you'll be safe is far away from me." His voice cracked for a second, then returned to normal. Aurora resisted the urge to touch him, although she had to practically sit on her hands to succeed.

"That's not what I asked, and you have a knack for ignoring my questions." He smiled a little at her attempt at humor but said nothing else. "Look at me, Dean, please. Tell me what _you_ want. Not what's best for me, or Sam, or anyone else. What do you want?"

"I want a lot of things, Aurora, and I can't have any of them." His voice echoed around the inside of the car; the frustration of how unfair life is getting the better of him. Aurora gave up, reaching for his hand and taking it into her own.

"Tell me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and he turned to look at her at last, eyes wet.

"I want my mom and dad to be alive, I want Jess to be alive, I want you to stay…" His voice trailed off, and Aurora felt wetness on her cheeks but didn't realize she was crying. He stared out the window, wondering how she could get him to tell her anything, with or without words.

"I'm sorry about the loss you've endured. As for me—well, I don't want to leave either. So how about when I do, we don't consider it goodbye forever, but just a farewell, and we meet up whenever you guys are nearby. And there's this awesome invention called a phone that you can call and text people on. It's great." She grinned at him, and he snorted, shaking his head. "It won't be perfect, nothing ever is, but if nothing else, maybe we can stay friends."

"I could never just be friends with you, Aurora. And besides, you deserve more than someone you see every couple of months at best. I can't give you that, and I won't tie you down. That's why it has to be this way." His face was set, determined to do the right thing, but his eyes told another story. Annoyance bubbled under the surface of Aurora's steely gaze, and she tried to shove it down, but then decided that now was not the time to play nice.

"Don't you sit there and tell me what I want, Dean Winchester. You don't get to make that decision for me. It doesn't matter if I found someone that would spend every waking moment of the rest of my life with me, and do you know why?" She glared at him, and he shook his head slowly. "Because he wouldn't be you! I'd rather have some of you sometimes, than all of someone else all the time. I knew that much the first time you kissed me." She paused, trying to find the rest of the words she wanted to say. He started to say something, but she held up a finger to shush him. "I know getting attached to people is risky for you, and them. I know that's why you won't let yourself get close. I get it. But it's too late for me now. You have my heart, and I don't want it back, regardless of whether I never see you again or we still see each other sometimes. You are worth loving and even if I have to do it from far away, I will. Can't you see that?" 

She didn't wait for him to respond, climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind her, then running up the steps into the house. He felt like someone had just ripped a hole in his chest, the emptiness of the car matching the hollow feeling her absence left behind. He sat there alone for a long time, contemplating how he got here and what his options were now. Could he really keep seeing her occasionally and not want to rip his own heart out every time he had to leave her again? He didn't think so, but the thought of never seeing her again made him want to curl up in a hole and shut out the world forever.

The slamming of the screen door jerked him out of his thoughts as Aurora bounding down the steps. He smiled and then realized she wasn't returning to him but going to her own car. _Damn!_ He'd forgotten the body shop appointment this morning. Without pausing to see if he followed, Aurora got in the Chevelle, and in a cloud of flying gravel and spinning tires, raced toward the interstate, leaving him in her dust. He shook his head and started the car, wondering if the dust cloud that engulfed him might be a metaphor for his life.

Aurora rolled up to Bobby's house three days later with the freshly painted Chevelle, extremely pleased she'd taken his suggestion. Her term started the next day, and she had no desire to do what came next but couldn't put it off anymore. The Impala slid to a stop next to her, and Dean climbed out, walking inside without looking at her. She sighed, resting her head on the steering wheel. 

"Well, baby, at least I have you." She muttered, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes. The passenger side door opened, and she felt the car shift as someone sat down beside her. 

"Hey, can we talk?" Not expecting anyone else but Dean, she let out a small shriek when Sam spoke to her.

"Sorry, Sam. I wasn't expecting you to come out here." She said, her hand resting on her chest as she took a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. Once it returned to normal, she looked at him. "What do you want to talk about?"

Sam stared out the window for several moments before speaking. Aurora assumed he was gathering his thoughts and let him be. "Do you love him?" It was a simple question, but a loaded one. Aurora stared at him, her mouth slightly open. 

"What the hell kind of question is that Sam? What do you think?" Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away, blinking quickly to clear them. 

"I think you do. And I know my brother." It was a statement, and the finality in his tone worried her. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"It means," Sam said patiently, "that he's stubborn and he'll go to the ends of the earth and beyond to protect those he loves, and that includes sacrificing his own happiness." Aurora nodded slightly but didn't reply. "You're good for him, I think. You have this way about you that dulls his pain and he's—I don't know, lighter somehow. He needs that whether he says so or not."

"Well, to answer your question," she said slowly, "I do. Just being near him feels like my soul has come home and I'm where I'm meant to be. I've never felt that, not ever. And it's not like I haven't had opportunities. No matter what happens, I will choose him. And if there ever comes a time when it seems like I didn't, I need you to know it's not true. He has my heart, Sam, always. Take care of each other, okay?" Tears slipped down her cheeks as she smiled at him, and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, in opposition to his frown.

"I'm confused, what makes you think something like that would happen?" Aurora snorted, looking past Sam toward the house. 

"Because I know my father. When he finds out you guys mean anything to me, he will stop at nothing to destroy you. He's such a narcissist that he sees anything I care about as toys, and since you matter to me, you must be broken so I'll keep playing his mind games. And it's not a question of if, Sam, but when. The bastard's life mission is to make me miserable. I just want you to know that I will go to the ends of the earth and beyond to protect those I love as well." 

"I see," he said slowly. "So, what do you want me to do if that happens?" 

"What you always do. Take care of him, Sam, he's going to need it." She rested her head on the steering wheel, feeling like her chest would burst open, and the shattered fragments of her heart would explode all over the inside of the car. Without saying anything else, he handed her a folded sheet of paper. 

"What's this?" she asked, wiping at her wet cheeks and sniffing as she unfolded it with a slightly trembling hand.

"It's a list of all of our cell phone numbers. They're all active, but we rotate them. Some of them are mine, some are Dean's, and some are Bobby's and I marked which ones. I also marked the main numbers we carry, so try those first. At the bottom is a list of basic supplies that will keep most monsters you're likely to encounter at bay. It'll probably make you end up looking like a witch, and you should probably just go with it, although not too much because witches attract hunters." He was rambling, and she held up her free hand to stop him.

"Thank you, Sam, that's very thoughtful. It's a good thing I have a photographic memory, because this would be the kind of thing my father would get nosy and find," she said, leaning over and putting the page in the glove compartment. "Well I guess I should go say goodbye." She choked on the last word, feeling a bit ridiculous about how sad she was ever only three weeks of knowing them, but regardless, she couldn't help how she felt. Her hand rested on the door handle, hesitating before she gripped it and started to pull. 

"He loves you. I've never seen him like this. He tried to lie when I asked him, but he can't lie to me, and he told me not to tell you, because he wasn't going to." Aurora dropped her hand, frowning. 

"I think he tried the other night, but he didn't _say_ it. I don't think he can." Aurora smiled at the memory of the night they'd shared in the Impala, and how she'd understood everything Dean said without a single word spoken between them. Sam nodded in agreement, ignoring everything else she'd said.

"Well, let's get to it then, shall we?" Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and got out of the car. Sam followed, and together they went into the house. 

Aurora had kept her things together, so it was a simple enough matter to load the car. After it was done, she went back into the house one last time, trailing her hand along the bookshelves in Bobby's library. "I'm sure going to miss this," she muttered, running a finger down the spine of a mythology book. Sighing, she went into the kitchen where Sam, Dean, and Bobby sat around the kitchen table. "So, I guess this is it. Time to go." She gave them a tight smile, then turned for the door. 

There was a shuffling of chairs as they stood and followed her outside. Aurora stopped, turning back to them and addressing Bobby first. "Thank you again, for letting me stay here and not getting too upset that I read all your books and couldn't put them back in the right spot. I think I heard you mutter once about me having a photographic memory but can't remember where a damn book goes." They chuckled, then Aurora stood on tiptoe and gave Bobby a hug, planting a light kiss on his cheek. She released him, turning to Sam. 

"Thanks for putting up with the intrusion into your life. I know there are a million other things you could and should be doing, and I won't forget it. If you ever need anything, call or text me. I left my number on the desk in Bobby's library. That might be faster sometimes than digging through all those books for answers." Sam nodded, and she waved her arms for him to bend down and give her a hug. He complied, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering in his ear as she let go. "Take care of each other, always." She planted a kiss on his cheek, then let him go. Sam stood up straight as Aurora turned to Dean. 

"Come on, son," Bobby said, waving to Sam. "Let's go inside and leave them be." Sam followed obediently, but he stopped just inside the screen door. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but he was afraid Dean might try to go through with this stupid plan to make her hate him, and he felt like he needed to be there. 

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but Aurora cut him off. "Whatever you're about to try to say or do to get me to hate you so much I leave here and never speak to you again, forget it. It's not going to work, you know it as well as I do and it will tear you apart to do it, so why put either of us through that?" He swallowed, unsure of what to say. "Thank you," she said, stepping forward and putting her arms around his waist and feeling his go around her automatically. "Thank you for helping me rebuild my car, and for trying to protect me." She could think of nothing else to say, so she tilted her head up and pulled him down to her for a kiss. 

Aurora pulled away first, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. As they parted, she whispered into his ear. "Don't forget me," She kissed his cheek, tears streaming freely now. He said nothing, just pulled her into one last kiss, trying to tell her what he didn't have the words to say. Aurora broke the kiss, pulling back far enough to look him in the eyes, then laid a hand on his cheek. Two-day stubble tickled her palm, and she wondered if she'd ever feel it again. "I know, Dean," she whispered. "You take care of Sam, alright?" 

Sam stepped onto the porch as Aurora opened the door of the car, turning her gaze up at them both. "Goodbye, boys." Putting on her sunglasses, she climbed into the car, closing the door gently behind her. The engine rumbled to life, purring in response to its mistress' touch. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as she rolled to the end of the driveway, glancing in the rearview mirror once to see Sam and Dean standing together, watching her go. Before she could change her mind, she stomped on the accelerator and headed for the interstate, a cloud of dust blocking the view behind her. 


	4. November- December 2007

_**Thanksgiving, November 2007** _

Aurora ducked as a whiskey glass flew past her head, shattering as it collided with the wall behind her and showered her in a spray of amber liquid. She held up her hands, moving toward the door. "I'm done. We're not having this conversation again. I don't give a damn what you have planned for me. I'm not getting married, _ever_ , and if by some miracle I decided to do so, it would be to the man I love, not as part of some deal you've worked out. I've never even met this guy."

"You are getting married, next June. Everything is already put into place, and if you don't go through with it, I will cut you off from your inheritance," Mathias replied, pouring himself another glass of whiskey, or as Aurora referred to it, reloading. Without thinking, Aurora rolled her eyes as Mathias turned around, catching her act of defiance. He crossed the room in three long steps, slapping her across her face so hard the clear outlines of each finger showed on her cheek. 

Aurora's eyes watered as her head spun from the impact, but she made no noise. She blinked the tears away as she stumbled face-first into a small table, images of Dean's face when he'd seen her bruises from a fight much like this one flooding her mind. She gritted her teeth as she picked up the crystal vase in front of her, trying to break it over his head as she spun around. Right before it made contact, he ducked slightly, and she lost her grip on the vase, sending it crashing to the floor, glass shards star bursting in all directions across the tile.

Mathias' face turned purple with rage, and he grabbed her by her arms, his fingers digging into her flesh so hard she was sure he would hit bone. Before she realized what happened, he threw her like she was a ragdoll, sending her crashing to the massive wooden bar on the other side of the room. Glasses and bottles tumbled every which way, falling over the top of her prone body, but she still hadn't uttered a sound. She laid on the floor, trying to catch her breath and ready herself for the next attack when Mathias' cell phone rang. He answered, sounding business-like as though he wasn't currently beating his daughter for her perceived defiance. Aurora rolled her eyes again but didn't move. A trickle of blood oozed from her forehead as she gently picked a glass shard from the open wound.

Without a word, he hung up the phone, giving her a look of contempt. "Clean this shit up, Aurora. We'll talk about this later." Turning on his heel, he left the room. 

"Fuck you," she muttered once he was out of earshot. Aurora laid on the floor for a few minutes, feeling the cold tile beneath her injured cheek. Jenna, her father's housekeeper, entered the room to find Aurora lying on the floor, eyes closed. 

"On no," she said, her hand covering her mouth, eyes wide. "He finally did it." At the sound of her voice, Aurora opened her eyes, and Jenna gasped. "Oh, thank God! I thought for sure he'd killed you this time!" Aurora groaned and tried to sit up, her body already stiffening from the impact with the bar. 

"No, not yet. Day's not over yet though." Aurora's voice was devoid of emotion, as though what she said was just a proven fact. Jenna's heart broke for her, and she wondered, as she often did, why Aurora put up with her father's abuse. She wasn't a child anymore, she had no reason to even come back here, so why did she?

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you put up with him treating you this way?" 

Aurora shrugged. "It's complicated. He's the only family I have. Why do you put up with him?"

It was Jenna's turn to shrug now. "It's complicated." Aurora gave her a knowing smile, then started gingerly picking up glass shards. 

"It's alright, miss, I'll do it. Why don't you go get cleaned up for dinner? Your father invited the partners over for a holiday party." Jenna disappeared into the hallway, coming back with a broom and dustpan. 

_Of course he did._ "Are you sure about this, Jenna?" Jenna waved her away without a word, moving about the room in silence, returning the space to a magazine ready room. Aurora shook her head, walking down the long hallway to the stairs at the end. The climb to the second floor was painful, her sore body screaming at her to stop moving. 

Safely behind her locked bedroom doors, she threw herself across the bed and finally allowed the tears to fall. She cried until she had no more tears, her eyes and nose turned puffy and red. Rolling off the bed gently, she picked up her cell phone from the bedside table and texted Dean's phone. "Hey, just wanted to say hi. It's my Birthday today, and I thought maybe if you guys were near Chicago we could meet up. Let me know." She didn't really expect an answer right away, if at all. He would usually answer eventually, giving some vague excuse about why he hadn't. They'd talked a few times, but she hadn't seen him since the day she'd left him standing in the driveway of Bobby's place. 

As she was about to set the phone down, it dinged with an answering message. "In Pontiac, meet at The Astoria bar in 2 hours??" Her mouth curved into the first real smile she'd felt in over a year as she typed an answer. "See you then." 

Aurora changed clothes and cleaned herself up, applying concealer for the bruises on her face with an expert hand, then shoved a few things in her bag. Cracking open her bedroom door, she stuck her head out cautiously, surveying the hallway. Her father expected her to show up and play nice at Thanksgiving dinner, and she had no intention of doing that. Being in the same room with him right now would be hazardous to both his health and her sanity. The hall was empty, and she stepped out, closing her door silently behind her. Marissa, Jenna's fifteen-year-old daughter, walked around the corner, almost colliding with Aurora when she didn't look up from her phone. 

"I'm so sorry, miss! I didn't see you there." Aurora gave the girl a hard stare but said nothing. Then an idea struck her. 

"It's fine, no harm done," Aurora said politely, and Marissa started to walk away, staring down at her phone again. "Marissa?" The girl looked up, startled, turning around until her gaze settled on Aurora's face. 

"Yes, miss?" 

"Can you get me out of this apartment without being seen?" Marissa tilted her head, regarding Aurora with piercing green eyes. _M_ _y father's eyes._ Aurora pushed the thought away to be examined more thoroughly later. Marissa nodded, waving for Aurora to follow her. After a couple of close calls, Marissa led Aurora to the service elevator. 

"Thank you. Remember, if anyone asks, you never saw me." Aurora opened her wallet and stuffed two $100 bills in Marissa's hand. Marissa nodded, going back to the apartment, closing and locking the door behind her. Aurora pressed the button for the basement garage, bouncing impatiently as the elevator doors slid closed, and it moved down. It felt like an entire century passed before the elevator doors opened again. "Finally," she muttered, jogging to her car. She had a little over an hour to get to Pontiac, and she hoped she wouldn't hit traffic. 

“Hello, baby,” she murmured, trailing her fingers along the side of the car. Her father insisted she be chauffeured or drive her Lexus when she was home from college on break, so the Chevelle got relegated to the darkest corner of the garage and she missed it terribly.

She was lucky so far that her father had not seen how much sentimental value the car held for her, or else he would have had it destroyed while she was home last Christmas. He'd threatened to when she refused the car service, insisting she would drive her Lexus to the firm's Christmas party and instead, rolling up to the most expensive restaurant in Chicago in her classic muscle car and embarrassing him. Aurora saw no problem with it, her car had far more character and personality in the tip of its exhaust pipe than all the other vehicles at that restaurant combined.

Dropping her bag into the front seat beside her, she slid into the driver seat and felt herself relax for the first time since leaving Sioux Falls for Thanksgiving break. She'd wanted to stop by and say hello to Bobby on her way to Chicago but settled for a text instead. He'd sent a quick response, but she hadn't heard from him since. Shaking her head, she started the car, the low rumble of the engine soothing her frayed nerves as she left the garage and raced for the southbound interstate. 

A little over an hour later, Aurora parked the Chevelle in front of the bar attached to The Astoria. Her throat tightened as she exited the car and caught sight of the Impala parked a few spaces away. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and entered the bar, a few of the patrons glancing up as the door opened. 

Dean sat at the bar, sipping whiskey. He had on the same leather jacket he wore the night she'd met him over a year ago, and when he glanced over his shoulder at the door, the sight of his face made Aurora's heart stop. It didn't matter she hadn't seen him in over a year. For her, it was as if she'd left him standing in Bobby's driveway only yesterday. 

He wore an odd expression as she took a seat at the bar beside him and ordered a vodka soda with a twist of lime and cranberry. They still hadn't spoken as she finished chugging the drink the bartender set in front of her and motioned for another. "Rough day?" His mouth was curled into a half-smile as he took another sip of his drink.

"You have no idea. Happy Birthday to me." She snorted, taking a long drink. They sat in silence for a while, sipping their drinks and being in the other's presence. "I've missed you," she whispered, running her fingers around the rim of her glass, and taking him back to that day in the diner in Sioux Falls. When he didn't answer, Aurora assumed he hadn't heard her and took another drink.

He waited for her to set the empty glass down and stood up, taking her hand. She dropped a couple of twenties on the bar and let him lead her outside. He stopped in front of her car, turning and wrapping his arms around her, gripping her so tight she couldn't breathe. When he let go, he kissed her, hard and urgent, as though he'd never get the chance again. 

He broke away from her, leaving her lips swollen and slightly pink from the kiss. "Happy Birthday, Aurora." She smiled at him, all the pain she endured in the last year melting away, leaving just the two of them behind. He took her hand again, leading her back to the room.

Sam sat at the small table, doing research on this laptop when Dean entered, Aurora right behind him. "Hey, Sam. Long time no see." She smiled at him, and without thinking, he'd crossed the small room and scooped her into a bear hug. She winced, a little grunt of pain escaping her lips. "Sam, I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry," he said, smiling and releasing her and returning to his laptop. Dean sat down on the other chair, and Aurora perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching them. "Are you guys working now? I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." 

"Yes, but you're nothing if not a distraction, right?" They all chuckled at Sam's joke and fell into an easy banter as though she'd never left. After a while, Sam turned to Dean. "I think I have a lead on something, and I need to check it out. Do you mind if I take the car?" Dean raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, fishing the keys from his pocket. 

"Scratch it and you die," he said, tossing the keys at Sam, who rolled his eyes, muttering something obscene. Aurora suppressed a giggle as Sam disappeared out the door, slamming it behind him. The warmth of the room was stifling, so Aurora stood, shrugging out of her coat, the sleeve of the silk blouse she wore sliding down over the deep purple bruises where Mathias had grabbed her. _Damn!_ Aurora glanced at Dean and hoped he hadn't seen them, but she knew it was too late; his face looked like a brewing storm. She laid the coat on the bed, breathing deeply to stay calm, then turned toward him. 

"Who did that to you?" His voice was low, and Aurora couldn't mistake the threat in it. She interlaced her fingers, holding them in front of her as Dean stared her down. 

"Mathias," she said simply, as though no other explanation were needed or warranted. Without warning, Dean swept everything off the table in a fit of rage, startling Aurora. Her sharp intake of breath made him look at her, and a second later, he realized what he'd done. He stood up and went to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry. But I will kill him if it's the last thing I do on this Earth." Aurora jerked away from him, giving him a hard stare. 

"No, Dean, you can't do anything. If he finds out about you, you're as good as dead."

"I'm as good as dead anyway," he said, not meeting her gaze.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she retorted, realizing what the odd feeling was that she'd had since seeing his look at the bar. "What aren't you telling me, Dean?"

"Nothing, this isn't about me. Why do you take that crap from him, Aurora?" He searched her face, trying to understand why she'd keep going back to an environment like that. 

"What else am I supposed to do?" She sat on the bed, looking defeated. "He's my father and the only family I have left." Aurora picked at the quilt on the bed beside her. Dean leaned forward in the chair, trying to get her attention.

"Bobby told me not that long ago that family doesn't end with blood--but it doesn't always start there either." The even tone of Dean's voice made Aurora lift her face to him. The sadness in her eyes was almost too much for him to bear, but he held her gaze anyway because she needed that from him.

"That's nice, but because of my blood family, I don't have anybody else. The only other people I have in my life are you, Sam, and Bobby, and you don't want me around. So, I go back there until the day I don't have to go back there again." Aurora dropped her chin to her chest, staring at the floor.

"That's not true," he said, crossing the floor and kneeling in front of her. "I do want you around, but I have to keep you safe from the revolving shitshow that is our lives."

"Like my revolving shitshow is any better," she scoffed, refusing to meet his eyes.

"It's not, but I'm certain it's more predictable. You at least know where you're going to be sleeping every night. I can't tell you how many nights me and Sam just slept in the Impala because that's where we crashed. It's not the life you deserve." Aurora glanced at him, and he stood up, pulling her to stand with him. She didn't resist, and when he kissed her again, Aurora forgot that he'd avoided answering her question for the moment.

Aurora knew what they were about to do would break her heart when she had to leave again, but she didn't care as they hungrily stripped off the others' clothes, littering the small room. They fell together onto the bed, each desperate for the touch of the other. One touch, one kiss from him, and her body and soul became a raging inferno, its molten heat devouring them both. She would die a million deaths just like that for eternity if it meant she could spend her last moments with him.

As they laid together, it occurred to Aurora that Dean had avoided her question, and she propped herself up to look at him. "What did you mean when you said you're as good as dead anyway? Tell me, please." 

How was he supposed to tell her that he was literally going to hell in six months? Sighing, he decided the best way was to just spit it out. "Sam died in May while we were fighting to close a gate to hell and destroy the yellow-eyed demon that killed our mother. I made a deal with a crossroads demon to bring him back." Aurora swallowed, not sure whether to laugh, scream, or cry. 

"What did you trade to bring him back?" The moment she said the words, she realized she didn't want to hear his answer but waited anyway.

"Hell gets my soul, and I get one more year on Earth." As his words hit her, Aurora felt like the entire world stopped spinning. She couldn't breathe, and yet all she wanted to do was scream. She felt her heart shatter, and there was nothing she could do about any of it.

"Why didn't you tell me? Is this why you pushed me out of your life, because you knew I might be opposed to idiotic decisions like that?" She was furious now, unable to believe what he'd done.

"It wasn't your decision to make, Aurora. I did it to save Sam, and I'd do it again." He got up, pulling on his pants, then walking to the window, keeping his back to her.

"Do you mean to tell me that one year of life is all your soul is worth to you? Is that it? Damn it, Dean." He didn't look at her; he couldn't let her see the unshed tears in the corners of his eyes.

"No, it's not. But it's worth it for Sam's soul." He spoke quietly, and Aurora didn't respond, unable to form words. It was too late now, anyway. Dean's phone buzzed on the bedside table, and he picked it up, refusing to meet her eyes. He scanned the text, then pulled on the rest of his clothes. "Sam's outside, he needs help with the case we're working. I'll be back as quickly as I can. Stay here and we'll talk when I get back. Oh, and take this, it'll keep you safe while I'm gone." he picked up a length of leather cord with a charm attached to it that matched the outline of the tattoo on his chest, holding it out to her. He tucked it into her hand, kissing her again. "Please?" She nodded slowly, looking away, then he disappeared out the door.

"Did you tell her?" Sam asked as they turned out of the parking lot, neither of them noticing the black SUV with dark tinted windows turning in. Dean frowned, nodding.

"She agreed to wait until we got back to finish talking about it. Not that talking is going to change anything." Dean gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. 

"No, it won't change the outcome. But it will give you both a proper chance to say goodbye, and that's what's important. I still think you should have called her sooner. You might have been able to spend the last six months with her instead of brooding." 

"We've barely talked for a year! What was I going to say, Sam? Hey, Aurora, want to put your life on hold and follow me and Sam around hunting things for the next twelve months because I made a deal and that's all the time I have left before I go to hell?" Dean shook his head, jaw muscles tightening. He had thought about doing precisely that months ago, and the problem wasn't that he thought she'd say no; it was that he knew she absolutely would drop everything in her life and run straight to him even if it meant heartbreak in the end.

"It wasn't her fault you two didn't talk, Dean, and you know it. You answered less than a quarter of her texts and it wasn't like she was being clingy and texting fifty times a day. We're talking once a week, max, and you still couldn't be bothered." Dean cast a glaring glance at Sam, then back to the road.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Because, after two or three weeks of you not answering, she'd text me to make sure we were okay. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to not tell her what happened?" Sam shook his head, staring out the window.

"Really, Sam, what do you think? Of course I know." They rode the rest of the way to their destination in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Aurora's eyes snapped open at the knock on the door. She waited, hoping if she stayed quiet, whoever was on the other side would go away. The knock came again, more insistent this time, and she threw her legs over the side of the bed, wrapping herself in the bedspread, and went to answer the door. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth when she saw her father standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

He entered the room, looking down his nose at the shabby decor and turning to her. "Why, I'm here to save my wayward daughter, of course. Now, get dressed and come quietly or I'll have to get angry, and you know what happens then." His voice dripped with malice, and Aurora took an involuntary step back, trying to figure out what to do. If she defied him, he'd kill her or the people she cared about, and if he could find her here, then he could locate her even if she ran with them. She didn't have any other choice, she had to obey to keep Dean alive, and she understood at that moment why Dean had made the choice he did. 

"Fine, I'll go. But I'm not dressing in front of your henchmen." Her face pinched with disgust as she stared the two bodyguards down. Mathias gestured to them, and they went outside, and he turned around, facing away from her. It was a wonder to her that he'd given her that much respect, which meant she was in for it when they got back to Chicago.

"I'm ready," she said, laying the discarded bedspread in a pile, and taking one last look at the bed, and quickly shoving the charm necklace in her pocket. She wondered if there was a significance to the symbol being tattooed on Dean, and realized she'd never know now. She took a deep breath, lifting her chin, and followed her father outside, and climbed in the back of the SUV. She heard the murmured voices as her father gave instructions, and she saw one of the bodyguards go back inside the room, reappearing moments later with a slight nod.

"Excellent," Mathias said. "Torch the car and do it right this time. Take it where nobody can find it."

Aurora's eyes almost bugged out of her head. Her _father_ had her car torched? Sam and Dean said demons destroyed her car, so that would mean… The sound of her car rumbling to life had her head-turning into that direction.

"Bye, baby," she whispered. "I'll find you again someday." A tear slid down her cheek as the taillights of the Chevelle disappeared out of the parking lot. It took everything she had not to claw her father's eyes out of his skull when he got into the SUV beside her, and she held her fists clenched tightly together, praying to the saints, angels, Mother Mary, whoever would listen to keep Sam and Dean safe. She begged for Dean's soul as well but doubted it would do any good.

Aurora ignored Mathias as he tried to carry on small talk about mundane subjects all the way back to their house, as though talking about the weather somehow made what he'd just done irrelevant. As soon as the car stopped, Aurora jumped out of the SUV, taking the stairs two at a time up to their apartment, determined to lock herself in her room and not come out for the rest of the time she was here. She could manage 48 more hours, right?

She wasn't fast enough, and Mathias caught her at the first landing, yanking her backward and sending her tumbling down the stairs, and she landed in an unconscious heap at the bottom, her hair coming loose and spread around her in waves. There was a gash across her hairline and a split across the back of her head as blood pooled on the ground around her, staining her hair. "Clean up this mess," Mathias snapped, waving and stepping over Aurora's body as he descended the stairs, going back to the elevator.

~~~~~

Several hours later, Dean parked in front of the motel, noticing that Aurora's car was gone, and he hoped she'd just gotten hungry and went out for food. The truth hit him like a truckload of bricks as he pushed open the motel room door to find it in perfect order—and empty. He hit his knees as Sam entered the room behind him. She hadn't left a note; she'd just vanished like she'd never been there at all. Why would she do that? He wanted to rip his heart from his chest to stop the pain, but settled for whiskey to numb it instead, getting up off the floor and pouring a cup from the flask in his bag.

Sam looked around, suspicious. Something was bothering him about this, and he couldn't put his finger on it. There was no smell of sulfur, so she hadn't been taken by demons, and anything else wouldn't have left the room in perfect order. She wouldn't have gone without a fight, unless—that was it! What had she said the day she left? _"I will always choose him, Sam, and if there ever comes a time where it looks like I didn't, it isn't true. He has my heart, always."_

"Dean, something is wrong. She wouldn't have left this way." Having given up on the cup, Dean was chugging straight from the flask and well on his way toward a night of finishing off the bottle he kept stashed in the trunk of the Impala.

"Ya think something is wrong, Sammy?" Dean wasn't drunk yet, but that was the goal, and damn little would stop him from achieving it now. "She said she'd stay, and she lied, end of story. Didn't even have the decency to say goodbye." 

"No, Dean, I'm telling you—something isn't right. Aurora would not have left like this—ever, no matter what you'd said or done. She told me she wouldn't."

"Well, she did, Sam. So, she lied to you too." He took another drink, swaying on his feet, and plopping onto the bed.

"No, she didn't, Dean. I refuse to believe that. You don't know what she said before she left, while we were sitting in her car." Dean cocked a skeptical eyebrow at Sam, but said nothing, just emptied the flask, staring at him.

"Fine, Sam, I'll bite. What did she say?" Dean said, dropping the empty flask and patting his jean pockets, looking for his keys. "Not that it matters now," he muttered, fishing them out of his jacket pocket and holding them up like he'd just found a treasure.

"She said that she'd always choose you, and that if there ever came a time where it looked like she didn't, it wasn't true. When I asked her why she thought it might happen, she said that we didn't know her father. I'm certain he had something to do with this." 

"I'm sure he did too, Sam. But if so, she still made the choice to go, and that's on her. I guess daddy got his punching bag back," Dean growled, throwing open the door so hard it hit the wall behind it, knocking a picture off the wall, the glass frame shattering as it hit the floor. He stomped through the door out to the trunk of the Impala, retrieving the bottle and going back into the hotel room. He spun the lid off the bottle as he sat down heavily in the chair, taking a long drink.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sam sighed and shook his head, frowning at the bottle.

"It means," Dean said, huffing, and taking another long gulp from the bottle, relishing the burn of his insides as it went down. "Her father beats her. Every time she goes home, he finds some new and creative way to mistreat her and she just keeps going back for more. She had bruises on her arms and across her back when she got here, and when I saw them, I threatened to kill him, Sam. And do you know what she said? She said I couldn't, because if her father found out about me, I'm as good as dead. Why would she defend him after all he's done to her?"

"She's trying to protect you, Dean. She chose to go back because it was the only option she had. Yes, she left, but she still chose you, this is exactly what she meant. She's doing for you what you did for me." The corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile, and he shook his head, thinking not for the first time how he underestimated how much Dean's 'little distraction' loved him.

"Yeah, Sam? And what happens when he kills her? Then what?" Dean set the bottle down with a clunk and leaned his head back against the wall as the room spun around him, enjoying his ride on his personal whiskey carousel. At least he didn't feel like ripping his own heart out for the moment.

"Then he gets what's coming to him, and he can join you in hell, where you can give him a taste of his own medicine for eternity. We may not know her father the way she does, but he doesn't know us either," Sam replied simply. Dean huffed, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes. He was silent for several minutes, but then sighed and opened his eyes, blinking at Sam to try to focus.

"You know, I've spent all this time afraid she'd get hurt or killed if she stayed with us and now she's the one who walked right into the lion's den without a second thought, for me. Why would she do that, Sam?" Dean's voice was small, like a child's. His eyes fluttered closed; his head still leaned against the wall. The whiskey had done its job, but there would be hell to pay the next day.

"You know why, she loves you and she believes you're worth it. I would do the same thing for you, just like you did for me." Sam saw a tear slip out from under Dean's lashes and looked away. Dean wasn't usually a sad drunk, but at least it was better than a mean one.

"Then why didn't she ever say it?" Dean said to no one in particular. Truth be told, Sam wasn't even sure his brother was aware he wasn't alone in the room. His head tilted forward, resting lightly on his chest.

"Why didn't you?" Sam said softly, getting a soft snore in return. Sighing, Sam stood up, went around and pulled Dean to his feet, Sam supporting him, and walked him over to the bed. Dean murmured something incoherent as Sam laid him down, stripping off his boots and covering him with the bedspread. Tomorrow morning was going to suck.

~~~~

Aurora woke later with a splitting headache and a tugging sensation on the skin of her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Dr. Carsen standing next to her bed, working on her head. "What happened?" She murmured, trying to sit up. The last thing she remembered was her father grabbing her from behind as she tried to run up the stairs.

"Shh, try to stay still. You took a nasty fall, and you have a concussion. You also need several more stitches. If you don't want this injury to scar, I need you to be still." The tugging sensation continued, and Aurora realized she was feeling the stitches through numbed skin. When the doctor finished and tied off the last stitch, she looked at him, blinking hard to focus.

"How long have I been unconscious?" _Nasty fall, my ass. That bastard threw me down the stairs._

"Eighteen hours," the doctor replied, checking her pupils for dilation. "Your pupil responses seem normal. Squeeze my hands." Aurora complied, and the doctor stood, satisfied. "I think you'll be fine, you just need to rest a few more days." 

"I can't, I have to get back to school. I still have two weeks left in my term," Aurora cried, throwing back the covers and trying to stand, then losing her balance and collapsing back onto the bed as a wave of nausea washed over her, and the room spun around her. 

"You can't go like this. You're in no position to drive to South Dakota, you probably won't be able to drive for several days, maybe even a few weeks." _Oh, hell no! I am going back to school one way or another!_ Aurora stared at him, struggling to keep her emotions under control. 

"Doctor, one way or another I will see to it that I get back to school on time, even if I have to walk or hitchhike there. Do I make myself clear?" The doctor nodded quickly, leaving the room. Her father entered a few minutes after, carrying a fat satchel. _Of course, he's come to pay the piper. Must be a double payment this time._ Mathias stopped at the edge of the bed, gingerly setting the satchel down. They glared at each other, neither speaking. The tension between them was so thick that Jenna and Marissa made themselves scarce, fearing that either Mathias or Aurora's spontaneous combustion was imminent.

"I will allow you to return to your ridiculous school in South Dakota on one condition. You are not to see or speak to this—" he paused, wrinkling his nose in distaste, "Dean person. If you disobey, his blood will be on your hands, and you will watch him die slowly. You can't love a dead man, Aurora. Nothing will stand in the way of your marriage next summer; do you understand me? NOTHING!" 

Aurora looked at him, incredulous, before answering his threat. "You really don't get it, do you? Do you think he'll just sit back and pretend he never knew me? You kidnapped me, and I'm pretty sure you were trying to kill me with that stunt with the stairs. What do you think he'd do to you if he found out, Mathias?" she snarled, eyes narrowed with fury. Mathias flinched, a split-second change in expression that Aurora almost missed, instantly replaced by that calculating facade of his.

"He's still just a man, Aurora, and all men break—eventually." He turned on his heel, leaving her alone. She fought the urge to vomit as her pulse pounded in her ears, making her head feel like it would split wide open. Jenna had prepared for that and left a trash can right beside the bed, which Aurora promptly vomited into. 

She reached for the satchel he'd left, wondering what price he'd put on her soul this time. The conversation she had with Dean not even two days ago played in her head. What right did she have to question what he thought his soul was worth? Didn't she allow someone else to determine the worth of her own? She unzipped it, dumping it on the bed. Ten thick bundles of $100 bills tumbled out, falling haphazardly into her lap and leaving her wondering how much a hitman might cost.

Aurora pushed that thought away, thinking that the money would be put to much better use to make herself disappear, instead of Mathias. Dean was right, family or not, there was no reason to keep coming back here, and if Mathias was even a little bit serious—no, she couldn't take that chance. 

Jenna knocked softly on the door, pushing her head inside. "Your father ordered a car service to take you back to school, miss, it should be here in an hour. Do you need help getting ready?"

"No, Jenna, I don't unpack when I come home, in case I have to make a hasty exit. There is one thing you could do for me, but only if you think my father won't find out." Jenna hesitated, looking wary.

"What is it, miss?"

"I dropped my cell phone a few days ago and it got banged up pretty bad. They're shipping me a new one, but I need something temporary. Do you think you could get me one of those prepaid phones they sell at the gas station?" Jenna nodded, relieved, then hurried away. Aurora closed the door, then pulled her mostly packed suitcase out of the closet and shoved things into it. There were a few articles of clothing, and a box of her mother's things she'd found stuffed in a dark corner of the attic a few years before, containing several heirlooms and her journals. Aurora kept them close after finding them up there collecting dust, but she still hadn't the courage to read them. 

Jenna returned a half-hour later with Aurora's request, who promptly shoved it into her suitcase, along with the satchel of cash and her other stashes she'd hidden around her room over the years. She'd just have to make do with that now and hope it was enough until other arrangements could be made for the money in her bank account. The car pulled up to the curb right on time, and Jenna helped Aurora into it as Marissa handed her suitcases to the driver to put in the trunk. Aurora settled into the back of the town car, feeling strangely settled for the first time in her life.

Eight hours later, Aurora stood in front of her dorm, suitcase in hand, and an almost fully formed plan. She only had one semester of college left, and it saddened her to know that she wouldn't be graduating, but she'd worry about that later. Right now, she had work to do. She entered her dorm room, and her roommate Tara jumped up, giving her a huge hug. She babbled so fast that Aurora held up her hands to slow her down. "Sorry," Tara said, "I've just been so worried about you. I've been calling you for three days and you haven't answered your phone."

"It's broken, they're supposed to ship me a new one soon," Aurora answered. Tara nodded, not noticing the sixteen stitches in Aurora's head, then turned away.

"Well I'm headed out with Jared; you want to come? It's 2-for-1 Jello shots at Tito's." She wiggled her eyebrows, bursting with excitement.

Aurora shook her head. "I'm pretty beat, you guys go and have some for me. Have fun." Tara cocked her head to one side like a confused cocker spaniel, then shrugged. 

"Okay, see you later Aurora." Tara bounded out the door, babbling excitedly on the phone to Jared and leaving blissful silence behind her.

"Yeah, see you later Aurora." Aurora muttered under her breath, opening her suitcase and removing the burner phone and powered it on. She thanked her lucky stars for her photographic memory as she punched Sam's number into the new message screen. Mathias only threatened Dean, which means he didn't necessarily know about Sam. Either way, it was a risk she had to take.

The keys clicked lightning fast as she typed out the simple message. "Tell Dean I'm alright. I know he's angry, but it was the only way, and remember what I said the first night at Bobby's house. - A" She pressed the send button, hoping she'd get a response. A few seconds later, a "k?" appeared on the screen, then she called Larry at the garage in Chicago to set up the rest of her plan. 

~~~~

_**Early December 2007** _

Aurora's stomach roiled as a wave of nausea washed over her. Tara was cooking sausage on her hotplate while Aurora was trying to get ready for her Egyptian mythology final, and the smell was overwhelming. After two weeks, the concussion was gone, so she chalked her nausea up to nerves about finals and the fact she hadn't been eating much. Swallowing hard, she opened a window to let the frigid December air carry the stench away. Breathing deeply as her nausea receded, she turned back to the book she'd been studying only for another wave to hit her, and she grabbed the trash can next to her bed, violently dry heaving into it. 

"You know, that's the fourth time you've done that this morning. My friend back home, Courtney, got like that when she was pregnant with her first kid. You must have the flu or somethin' because you don't even have a boyfriend or anything." Tara's voice was suddenly very grating, and Aurora wanted to punch her in the face. She couldn't be pregnant, could she? The very notion seemed ridiculous, she hadn't been with anyone other than Dean, but the thought nagged at her anyway. 

Aurora's eyebrows knitted together, considering this. Well, that would certainly put a damper on a few things. She'd only planned to stay hidden temporarily, until after the arranged wedding date, but if she was pregnant… it would have to be permanent. Mathias would kill the baby if he thought it was what stood between him and whatever he wanted to accomplish by forcing Aurora to marry. 

_Slow down, one thing at a time._ First, she needed to get a test, then figure out the rest of her life. "AURORA!" Tara's voice cut through her thoughts, and she jerked back to reality, shaking her head.

"What?!" she snapped, feeling sick again.

"Your final starts in five minutes!" Tara said, shutting off the hot plate.

"Damn!" Aurora jumped up, grabbed her backpack, and ran out the door, her earlier thoughts forgotten now. 

An hour later, she'd finished her exam, confident she'd aced it. _Not that it really matters._ She started back toward her dorm, passing the university health clinic. Without thinking, she went inside. 

"Can I help you?" The receptionist seemed friendly enough, but suddenly, Aurora was afraid that it would be linked to her if the test were positive. She almost left, but the receptionist's voice stopped her. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I was just curious; do you do pregnancy tests here?" 

The receptionist nodded. "They're free for all college students, fill out this paper and we'll take you back and get you tested." Aurora took the clipboard with a trembling hand.

"Can I get one without my student ID?" 

"Yes, it's $10 though." The receptionist replied. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, and the receptionist eyed her quizzically, noticing Aurora's stitches. "Are you afraid of someone?" _Yes, but not who you're thinking._ Aurora smiled, shaking her head.

"No, I got that when I tripped and fell down the stairs," Aurora said, pointing toward her stitches, and the receptionist gave her a dubious look. She'd obviously heard that one before. Oh well. Aurora picked up a pen, filling in the half-page with a made-up name and address, then handed it back to the woman, along with her last $10 bill. 

"Follow me," she said, leading Aurora to the back and pressing a sample cup into her hand, then pointing to the restroom. Aurora took a calming breath, then walked into the bathroom. She left the sample in the designated area, then washed her hands and went back to the waiting room. 

Five minutes later, the nurse came from the back and motioned to her, and Aurora followed her into a small office where she shut the door, gesturing for Aurora to sit. "Well," she said. "You are pregnant. Was this planned?"

"Absolutely not," Aurora muttered, her hands instinctively covering her midsection as though to protect it. 

"Well there are options, if you want information about those," the nurse said, and her look of concern made Aurora want to punch her. 

"What kind of options?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted to know. The only option she saw was danger for herself and the child.

"Well, if the baby wasn't planned and you don't want to be a mother, there's adoption or abortion. The only other option is to keep the baby." The nurse folded her hands over the blotter pad on the desk, and Aurora felt the urge to vomit again. She didn't want to be a mother, not really, did she? Aurora adored children, but she'd always assumed that she wouldn't have any, on the off chance she was even a little bit like her father. It was safer to not have them at all than for a child to grow up like she did.

But this child was a product of both her and Dean, born out of their love for each other. How could she possibly just give it away or get rid of it altogether? But, if she kept the baby, she couldn't tell anyone who its father was, not even the baby's own father. Dean would probably not forgive her if he ever found out, but it would be the only way to keep the child safe. 

The nurse cleared her throat, trying to bring Aurora's attention out of her thoughts. "You have some time to decide, judging by your last menstrual period, you're about four to five weeks along." Aurora nodded, unable to form words. "If you want, I can give you information on your options."

"No," Aurora croaked, finding her voice again. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I'm keeping the baby." The nurse's look of surprise matched Aurora's own. Up until the moment the words left her mouth, she didn't know what she was going to do, but now that she said it, keeping the baby was the only option for her. "Thanks again." She stood up, exiting the office, leaving the door open behind her.


	5. January 2008-June 2008

_**Three weeks later - January 2008** _

Aurora stood in front of the motel room sink, scissors in hand. In a few strokes, she shortened her hair from the middle of her back to her chin, then opened the black hair dye box. She opened the bottles to mix them, checking her watch every few minutes. At exactly 6:00 pm, she flipped the TV to a national news channel and waited, using the time to apply the mixed color to her short locks. 

An ear-splitting bleep filled the room, and breaking news flashed at the bottom of the TV screen. Aurora perched herself on the edge of the bed, listening intently as the screen cut to a news announcer standing outside of Lincoln Park with the latest update. "An explosion ripped through Lincoln Park in north Chicago this afternoon, killing one visitor and injuring several others. Witnesses say the attack was targeted specifically toward the deceased, who we have now learned was identified by her dental records as Aurora Jane Cordell, the only daughter of Mathias Cordell, Chicago's own premier criminal defense attorney. A reward is being offered for any information regarding the perpetrator of this crime. Back to you, John." Aurora's burner phone buzzed on the side table, and she flipped it open to see one text from Sam. "U gd?" Aurora smiled, sending back a "Y." So far, her plan was working great.

~~~~~

Dean slammed on the Impala's brakes, skidding onto the gravel shoulder as the breaking news announcement on the radio ended. He turned toward Sam, a look of pure, unadulterated heartbreak creasing his features. "No, Sam. No, no, no. That can't be it, she can't be gone just like that." He hit the steering wheel once, then hit it again and again until his energy was spent, laying his forehead against it, eyes closed. 

"Damn it, Dean, listen to me!" Sam's voice sounded far away like Dean was underwater. And why shouldn't it seem that way? He definitely felt like he was drowning right now. "Dean!" Dean lifted his head, blinking to focus on Sam's face, and Sam gave him a slight smile. 

"Remember the first night at Bobby's? When she told us who her father is? Do you remember what else she said?"

Dean looked at him blankly, eyes narrowing, then shook his head. "Nope, I got nothing."

Sam sighed, looking out the window to resist the urge to facepalm. "She said not to believe everything we hear on the news about her. Remember?" Hope bloomed under Dean's ribs for a single instant, then it was snuffed out by reality a second later. 

"We have no way of knowing for sure, Sam, and I swear on my life I will kill Mathias Cordell if it's the last thing I do."

"Yes, we do. Look." Sam held out his phone, and Dean wondered how he didn't notice Sam had been checking it at even intervals all day. Dean scrolled through the texts between Sam and a number that wasn't programmed into the phone. The messages started three days after she returned to Chicago with Mathias and the last one came in fifteen minutes before.

"You knew she was going to do this? Fake her death?" Dean glared at Sam, fury replacing the despair. "And you didn't tell me?" 

"I didn't know that this is what she was up to, no. But I knew something big was coming. What did you say to her the last time you guys talked? Something you said probably set this whole thing in motion. But be prepared, we probably won't hear from her again for a while. She'll be in hiding, because if Mathias finds her alive…" Sam's voice trailed off, leaving it up to their imaginations to finish that statement as he met Dean's glare with a cool look of his own. 

"I asked why she put up with that crap from him and her response was he's her only family, so she goes back until the day she doesn't have to anymore, and I told her what Bobby said to me about family." Sam shook his head, dismissing it. 

"No, that wouldn't have been enough. Something else must have happened when they got back to Chicago," Sam said, and Dean's brows knitted, trying to recall a memory. 

"Sam, you remember when she told us where the money came from to fix the Chevelle? She called it blood money, remember?" Dean leaned back against the door, facing Sam. His hands throbbed from where he'd hit the steering wheel, and he rubbed them together absently. Sam nodded, unsure of where Dean was going with this. "She told me later that he gave her money every time he beat her, to buy loyalty or silence or—something. Anyway, she referred to it as the cost of each piece of her soul."

"I don't follow," Sam said, realizing that he had wasted too much of the short time Aurora had spent with them resenting her, instead of getting to know her as a person. 

"The night at the motel, her side of the argument was about how little I valued my soul, that I gave it up for only one more year of life," Dean said.

"So, you're thinking he hurt her worse than usual, and came to give her the money like he always does, only this time she decided his price for her soul wasn't enough? I mean, I guess it's possible, but I don't know her as well as you do." 

"Why didn't she tell me?" Dean started the car, easing it back onto the deserted road. 

"First, you read the messages, she thinks you're angry with her. Second, and this is only a theory, but if Mathias only threatened you and no one else, then she probably believes we're safe, but you aren't." 

"Maybe, but there's way too many if's in this conversation. So, what now?" Dean said. "And I'm not angry with her—not anymore, anyway. I miss her and it's killing me, Sam." 

"I know. I guess we keep doing what we're doing, and we wait," Sam replied, shrugging.

~~~~~

"That little bitch!" Mathias growled at the TV as the emergency broadcast ended, slamming his whiskey glass down on the desk and glaring toward the bodyguard stationed near the door. He'd underestimated his daughter, but it didn't matter, it wasn't something he'd do again, because if he found her alive, he certainly planned to teach her a lesson she wouldn't soon forget.

"She's not dead, James," Mathias snarled, glaring toward the door. "I know her, and this is one of her games, so you're going to find her and bring her here to me so I can kill her myself, or else I will feed you to the wolves. Do I make myself clear?" The bodyguard nodded, swallowing hard. 

"Start looking at that ridiculous college in Sioux Falls, and if that doesn't work, find Dean Winchester and kill him. If I can't find her, I'll break her instead, and the world will be better off with one less hunter nosing around," he snarled, waving in dismissal, and the bodyguard turned on his heel and ran from the room to relay the orders to the others. 

Marissa clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle the cry that threatened to escape it. She was on her way to find her mother when she passed Mathias's office and heard the shouting through the slightly open door. She dove into a closet as the bodyguard left, and now she stood, her blood frozen in her veins. This was all her fault, she knew, but when Mathias demanded to know where Aurora had gone on Thanksgiving, Marissa told him without hesitation. She'd seen what he did to Aurora when she defied him, and she didn't want to be the next casualty of their father's temper, even though Mathias had never once raised a hand to Marissa. Only Aurora seemed to be the target of his wrath, and she had yet to understand why.

Silence settled across the hallway, and Marissa slipped out of her hiding place, intent on her original goal to find her mother, but more determined than before. She needed to make up for what she'd done, and she hoped that like most things, her mother could make everything alright.

~~~~~

_**April 2008** _

Aurora stood in front of a Sioux Falls bar called The Lodge, snickering to herself. "Aurora walks into a bar—was it an iron or steel bar?" She muttered, shaking her head at her stupid joke and staring at the help wanted sign. She, now Lyra Jane Corwin or LJ for short, had no education beyond high school to speak of, and therefore was qualified to do very little in the way of work. Not that she needed to, she'd been meticulous in making sure all of the blood money Mathias had given her over the years had been transferred into offshore bank accounts, and there was more than enough for her and a child to live on. The problem was how to blend into the surroundings and not draw attention because she seemed to survive just fine without a job. 

She pushed the door open and walked into the empty bar. "Hello?" she called, her footsteps echoing on the wooden dance floor. A massive bar took up the entire opposite wall from the entrance, and booths and tables scattered all around the outside of the dancefloor, while the upstairs had pool and billiards tables. "Hello?" she said again, feeling slightly uneasy. 

"We're closed," came a muffled voice from behind the bar. A man with wavy, shoulder-length salt and pepper hair stood up from behind the bar, regarding her with the most striking blue eyes she'd ever seen. "What do you want?" His voice was gruff, but not unkind, and for a moment, Aurora forgot why she was there. 

Shaking herself, she stepped closer so she didn't need to yell. "I saw your help wanted sign and I need a job. What are you looking for?"

"Bartender," he said, his head disappearing again. "You got any experience?"

"Does bartending for frat parties count?" she asked, half-smiling. 

The man appeared again, eyeing her. "Depends, did you make actual drinks or just trash can punch where you throw ten different liquors together and whoever pukes first loses?"

"Um, actual drinks. What you described sounds absolutely disgusting, not to mention dangerous," Aurora said, a shudder running up her spine. He cocked one thick but neatly trimmed eyebrow at her in surprise. 

"Alright then. Make me a drink. If I like it, job's yours. Deal?" Aurora nodded, stepping up behind the bar. He pointed out where the various supplies she might need were located, then took a seat on one of the barstools, filling out an inventory list and otherwise ignoring her. 

Aurora took a deep breath, then mixed the ingredients to her favorite drink. Vodka soda with a twist of lime and cranberry. She set the glass on a paper coaster in front of him and waited. He took an experimenting sip, smacked his lips, then downed the rest of the glass. 

"Not bad," he said. "The job is 30 hours a week, $10 an hour plus tips. You can start tomorrow night if you want, come back about 5:00 pm and we'll get your paperwork done."

Aurora nodded, a little breathless. "What's your name? So, I know who to ask for?"

"Deacon. I own the place," he replied. "See you tomorrow then?" Aurora nodded again, hurrying from the bar. Back outside, she did a little happy dance. That was one less thing on her to-do list before baby Corwin made his or her debut. Her happiness faded when she realized it was April 30. She pulled her phone from her pocket and flipped it open to send a message to Sam. "Tell him I love him." 

Overwhelming loss ripped through her body like a tornado ripping through a cornfield. Her chest tightened so far that for a moment, she thought she might be having a heart attack, and she leaned against her car, struggling to breathe, her vision going dark around the edges. She forced herself to take deep calming breaths, and as her vision returned to normal, she slid into the driver's seat of her car. The phone in her hand vibrated, and tears filled her eyes as she read the reply. "Me 2."

Aurora's hands were trembling so bad she almost dropped the phone three times before hitting the send button. "D?"

"Y"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, and she gripped the steering wheel, releasing a frustrated growl at the windshield. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she _needed_ to tell him, and there was no time now. The short textspeak code was not enough, but unless she planned on telling him about the baby, seeing him was out of the question, for his safety and hers. She typed the reply, then dropped the phone into the cup holder, starting the car. "Don't forget me - A"

Several hours later, back at her tiny motel room, Aurora got ready for bed, flipping open the phone idly to see Dean's reply from earlier that day. "Never." That one word was like taking a baseball bat to the chest, and she curled up on the bed and cried, deep, heaving sobs wracking her chest. She wept for what should be but isn't and what is and should not be, for finding and losing her love, and for the child she carried. 

~~~~~

_**May 2008** _

Light streamed in through the partly closed curtain, warming Aurora's face. She opened her eyes, still gritty from the night before. She splashed water on her face, then checked her watch. Her appointment was in 45 minutes, and it was across town. Aurora dressed quickly, then left the motel, eyeing every corner for lurking shadows as she did.

Thirty minutes later, she sat in the waiting room of her OB/GYN's practice, reading a parenting magazine article. _I'll be considered a perfect parent compared to Mathias,_ she thought glumly as she flipped through the pages of the magazine. The nurse walked through the door, calling her name. "Lyra Corwin?" Aurora hesitated, then stood, still not used to hearing and responding to that name. The nurse gave her a tight smile. "Come on back here."

Aurora followed obediently, and a few minutes later, she was lying on a table, slightly propped up, her belly exposed. To her, she hadn't started showing yet, still in that stage of "is it a baby or too many bacon cheeseburgers? You decide." Aurora flinched as the doctor covered her belly with cold blue goo, then moving the ultrasound wand around until she found what she wanted. The steady _whoosh-whoosh_ of the baby's heartbeat was music to Aurora's ears, and she grinned.

The doctor took several measurements and pictures while Aurora waited patiently, relaxing to the sound of the baby's heart. "Alright," the doctor said, "I'm all done here, do you want to know the sex of the baby?" Aurora nodded, chewing on her lip. The doctor moved the wand around Aurora's belly, turning the monitor so she could see. "Congratulations, you're having a son. Dad will be so proud."

Would he? Aurora liked to think so, but she would never know now, and the thought almost broke her. The doctor glanced at her as she wiped away the remaining goo on Aurora's belly. "You have to stay strong for this little guy. No matter what, he needs you." Aurora blinked at her, confused, understanding coming a second later. 

"I know," Aurora whispered. Strength was something she felt was in low supply, though. "Thank you." 

Aurora left the office, sitting in her car for a long time before driving back to the motel. She was a little over halfway through her pregnancy, and she needed to find a house soon. And what would she do about childcare while she worked? She couldn't trust just anyone with their child, especially not when demons looked like humans most of the time. Panic rose in her chest as the thoughts came at her fast. 

"Slow down, breathe." She took a deep breath. One thing at a time, and at the top of that list was a more permanent living situation. _I’ve got_ _work to do._

~~~~~~~~

_**June 2008** _

Aurora shook hands with the realtor as she handed over the cashier's check. It had taken over a month to close on this house, and today was finally the day. It wasn't much, but it was her own. _Bought and paid for with my blood._ The bitter thought angered her, and she pushed it away as she walked through the empty house, her footsteps echoing on the wood floors, touching surfaces as though to check to make sure they were real. A sad smile curved her lips as she imagined Dean standing there with her. 

Pushing the thought from her mind, she went out to the car to unload her meager belongings and several boxes of mythology books and various other research materials she collected after leaving Bobby's house. She unpacked them all, placing each one lovingly on the built-in bookshelves in the living room. It wasn't Bobby's library by any means, but she'd get there eventually. 

She hesitated as she reached for the last box, her hands trembling as she lifted the lid. It was the box of her mother's journals, and she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes as she lifted the leather-bound tomes from the box, stroking each one lovingly. Aurora still wasn't sure she wanted to read them, but curiosity got the better of her and she opened the cover, a single tear slipping silently down one cheek at the sight of her mother's flowing handwriting.

_**November 29, 1986** _

_**Aurora Jane made her grand debut today, weighing 7lbs 13ozs and a head full of golden curls. She reminded me of those cherubs painted on the ceiling of the chapel, and when she stared up at me with those round, blue eyes, I knew I'd do anything in my power to keep her safe and pure. She is my guiding light, and everything I do from this moment is for her.** _

Aurora choked back a sob, flipping through several more pages, the dates spanning across the next year, stopping to read entries that stood out from the others. When she reached the end of one journal, she picked up another, completely losing track of time. One entry made Aurora do a double-take, unable to believe what she read. 

_**October 31, 1990** _

_**Well, Mathias has taken what he wanted from someone—again, with no remorse for the lives he ruins in the process. Jenna came to work for us as a housekeeper today, heavily pregnant with his child. He thinks I don't know, but I'm not stupid. If he believes that parading his affairs and illegitimate children under my nose will make me change my mind about Aurora's betrothal, he is mistaken. My daughter will not be forced to marry as I was, I don't wish my unhappiness on her, and I will die before I let him crush her spirit that way.** _

Aurora could feel her blood boil and closed her eyes to count slowly backward from ten. Her father knew who she'd marry at the age of four? What kind of sick son of a bitch does that? She wondered idly if the male counterpart of this planned betrothal was just as unhappy about it as she was, and she smiled to herself, hoping he'd think she'd done him a favor by disappearing. 

_**November 29, 1990** _

_**Today was Aurora's fourth birthday, and I had no choice but to bind her magic. She is powerful, more powerful than even the coven elders, and I caught Mathias trying to channel her magic to summon a Knight of Hell. I don't think he'll be successful, even channeling her magic, but I couldn't take the chance. Setting one of those things loose on earth would cause chaos the world has never known. He broke my arm when I questioned why he wanted to do such a thing, but I couldn't let him corrupt her with his greed and hate. I've had too many encounters with hunters in my lifetime, and I've seen what happens to witches who embrace the darkness. At least she will always pass as nothing more than an average human, and the only thing that will unbind her magic is giving birth to a son. I'm sure Mathias will kill me for that one, but it's the only way to keep her safe and out of his grasp since our bloodline only produces daughters. Someday, I hope to have the chance to explain all this to her, but I fear I won't get that chance. Mathias is pure evil, and I wish I could just take Aurora and disappear, but I know that he'll find us no matter where we go.** _

Aurora threw the book out of her hands as though it burned her. What the hell did she just read? She forced herself to try and remember her fourth birthday, but no matter what, she could only remember tiny slivers of the day, and she remembered nothing close to what her mother wrote. She picked the journal up from the floor, flipping through the rest of the pages and reading snippets of her mother's descent into her addiction. She sighed, placing the read books on the shelf together, then picked up the last journal. It was mostly empty, only the first few pages held any writing, and Aurora was surprised to see the last entry was a letter addressed to her.

_**December 2, 1991** _

_**My Dearest Daughter Aurora,** _

_**I don't know if you'll ever see this, but I must hold on to some small hope you will, because otherwise, everything I've done has been for nothing. As I'm sure you know, your father is the embodiment of evil, but he wasn't always that way. He's been corrupted by darkness and subject to the whims of demons, since, it turns out, he is one. I don't mean that figuratively, either. According to the story I was only told after you were born, your father summoned a demon hoping to make a deal while he was in law school. His wish? To be the most feared defense attorney in the country.** _

_**Except, your father had no intention of selling his soul in exchange for however much time the demon offered. Instead, he somehow forced the demon to possess him, then bound the two of them together with a linking spell. That way, the demon could never cash in on the deal, and Mathias lives forever, or at least until the true embodiment of light ends him. You are that light, my dear.** _

_**I can only imagine the things he's put you through up until this point, and had I known then what I do now, I would have found a better way to be free of him. But it's too late for regrets, and I've made too many mistakes. I don't have much time left in this world, and after tonight, I doubt I'll ever see you again. Please understand, everything I've done has been to protect you, my sweet angel of light, and I love you more than anything. No matter what, you can't let him win. He's after something, I'm sure of it, and you are at its core. Be careful, Aurora.** _

_**I love you,** _

_**Stella** _

Aurora slapped the book shut, placing it on the shelf next to the others, but the words she'd read bounced around in her head like pinballs being beaten about. She closed her eyes, reeling with the newfound knowledge, and a snort escaped her at the irony of the whole thing. Her, a witch with bound magic, carrying a son, and his father? A hunter whose sole purpose in life was to root out and end creatures like her. One more reason she could never tell anyone who her child belonged to. As if her life wasn't complicated enough.

Sighing, she stood up from the floor, no small task as large as she was now, and took one last glance around the house, then locked the door behind her and went back to the motel for the night. She would have spent the night in her new home, but at seven months pregnant and working a job that keeps her on her feet, her back would be none too happy about the lack of a proper bed. As she got in the car, her phone rang, startling her. 

"Hello?" she said, pressing it to her ear. 

"Hey, LJ, it's Mac at the Sioux Falls garage. You were looking for a missing 1970 black cherry red Chevelle, is that right?"

"Y-Yes, that's right." Hope and fear warred under her breastbone like two wild beasts locked in a fight to the death. She knew it was sentimental, it was just a car after all, but in her mind, that car was a phoenix, rising from the ashes each time life broke it down. It was a symbol of hope for her, and hope was something she desperately needed right now.

"My buddy found one at a junkyard in Pontiac, IL, torched and crushed. Apparently, someone did a number on it before dropping it into a very deep pond. If you want, we can have it shipped to the garage here and see if we can salvage anything from it?"

"Yes! Please! I don't care if the only thing we can get from it is the frame. I've rebuilt that car before, and I'll do it again if I have to. Go ahead and have it hauled up here and send me the bill. Thanks, Mac."

"Will do."

He disconnected the call, and Aurora closed her phone, staring at it, her mind a million miles away. 

~~~~

Two weeks later, Aurora stood in Mac's office at the garage, waiting for him to come to her. The Chevelle was delivered that morning, and she wanted to see it. Mac entered, closing the door behind him. He looked like a doctor about to tell a family member their relative died. Aurora swallowed hard, bracing herself. "It's not good, LJ. The frame is badly bent, and it will be nearly impossible to straighten it out."

"Can you do it?" She set her mouth into a thin line, as though doing so would change the answer she thought him most likely to give. He looked at her like a second head had popped out of her shoulder and started speaking to him. "Mac, can you do it?"

Mac sighed, shrugging and rubbing a greasy hand down his face, smearing the smudges already there. "I supposed I can try, but it'll cost you, and I can't make any promises it'll work." 

Aurora blew out a breath, thinking, then she nodded. "Do it and send me the bill when it's done." Mac shook his head as she stood to leave, throwing her bag over her shoulder then turning for the door.

"Hey, LJ?" Aurora stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob as she turned back to him. "Just wondering what it is about that car that means so much to you. I guess you don't have to tell me, but I wish you would."

She smiled at him, a faraway look in her eyes as her hands went to rest on her bulging belly. "It's a long story, but I rebuilt that car once before with someone very important to me. All I have left of him are those memories and this baby, so it's my way of keeping him close." Her throat tightened, and she swallowed hard, blinking back tears. 

Mac nodded, patting her on the shoulder as he opened the door. "I'll do the best I can with it, LJ. I promise." Aurora nodded, leaving the office. As she walked to her car, she passed Bobby walking into the garage and hoped he hadn't seen her.

Bobby stopped short as the pregnant woman exited the garage. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it was Aurora, but this girl had black curls that only fell to her cheekbones, and her hair was streaked with blue. It was her eyes that caught his attention, though. They were the same sapphire blue he remembered. Mac walked up to him, wiping his hands on a rag as Aurora got into her car and closed the door, not looking back. 

"Hey Mac, who was that?" Bobby nodded toward Aurora's car as she exited the parking lot. 

"Oh, that's LJ. Nice girl, but a little too obsessed with a busted car if you ask me. And a little too young for you though, plus she's already got one baking, if you know what I mean. Why do you ask?" Mac looked at him curiously as Bobby shook his head. 

"She reminds me of someone I knew a while ago, but she died back in January. That girl could be her twin, I swear it." He shook his head again, tempted to ask about the car she was obsessed over but decided that he would let it be. If that girl was, in fact, Aurora, she had a damn good reason for faking her death, he was sure of it, and if he went around asking questions, it might draw too much attention to her. He really wanted to know who the father of her baby was, but what did it matter now? If the child was Dean's, he was already in hell, so she was on her own anyway. 

"Well if you want to ask her, I think she said she works as a bartender at The Lodge," Mac said, facing Bobby, who looked at him with surprise. "I know you didn't come in today to ask about a woman, so what can I do for you?" 

"I need to order a part for my Chevelle. I've searched through everything I've got, and I don't have what I need."

"Well come on, let's see what we got." Mac shook his head, throwing the rag over his shoulder and walking back into the garage. "Today must be the day for Chevelles," he muttered, and Bobby had all the answers he needed.

~~~~

_**August 2008** _

"Thank you, Leo." Aurora smiled at the young barback, who set the case down and began stocking the bar for her since Deacon wouldn't let her do it alone anymore. Karaoke nights were the biggest draw of the week, and he couldn't have his best bartender put on bed rest before she had the baby. A half-smile crossed her lips as she remembered the way he'd grinned when he said it. 

The karaoke didn't start until 8, but she liked to test the sound system before the place filled up. She did a microphone check, then pressed play on her current favorite song, and the piano notes of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" filled the space. The few patrons in the bar already stopped, turning toward the corner stage to see who was singing. Her voice cracked at the end like it always did, but she got a hearty round of applause from the bar patrons. 

Deacon stood in his office doorway, leaning against the frame and watching as she put the microphone away. "You know," he called out to her, "I think we should make a whole night of nothing but LJ's karaoke hits. It'd be a packed house; I can feel it." A few patrons nearby heard this and cheered.

Aurora cocked an eyebrow at him as she stepped down to the dance floor. "But if I'm on stage, who's managing the bar? Leo?" she said, teasing, and he smiled back at her.

"Good point. Sorry guys, I tried." He turned toward the customers who cheered at his suggestion, arms held wide in a shrug, laughter in his eyes. There was a chorus of "aww," and Aurora grinned at them. 

"How about one more song before my shift starts?" Following the raucous reply, she stepped up to the microphone. "Alright guys, what'll it be? Think fast, the boss is watching." Laughter and shouted song names filled the half-empty space. "Okay, so I've heard Simple Man, I Want to Know What Love Is, and Shadows of the Night." She looked at Deacon, her blue eyes glinting darkly in the stage light. "What'll it be, boss? You're the tiebreaker."

He spread his arms wide, still grinning at her. "Hey, don't put me in that position. I'll just ask you to sing them all." Cheers and whistles came from every direction, and she raised an eyebrow as he grinned mischievously at her.

Aurora blew out a breath in mock resignation, a slight smile playing at her lips. "Well, if that's what you guys want, I think I might need a stool first, or I'll be too tired to serve drinks later." She patted her belly as everyone, including Deacon, cheered for that option. Leo grabbed a barstool, setting it on the stage behind her, and she smiled gratefully, taking the microphone off the stand and leaning on the stool. "Alright, shall we play karaoke roulette?" More cheering, and she hit shuffle on the playlist. 

Aurora took a sip of water, grateful that "Simple Man" was the last song in the shuffle list. Her voice was going to give if she had to sing any more high notes right away. The bar began to fill up now, and the cheers after her songs were louder and longer. She closed her eyes as the music started, allowing herself to get lost in the sound, and sang to their child. 

Bobby sat in the parking lot of The Lodge, a woman's voice floating on the music coming through the door as people entered. He'd sat there listening through the first two songs, knowing he should just let her be, but he needed to know for sure. When the third song began, and the first of the lyrics floated through the open door, he did know. Once, back when she'd stayed at his house, and she thought she was alone in the kitchen, he'd walked in to hear her singing that very song to herself as she dried and put away dishes. With a heavy sigh, he got out of the car and walked inside. 

He stood at the edge of the dance floor, across from the stage. Aurora leaned against a stool, eyes closed, her bulging belly looking like an overinflated balloon, ready to pop at the first wrong move. The crowd was practically silent now, something that was almost unheard of in a bar, but they were all intent on listening to her. Even he was enthralled, and he'd heard her sing it before. He half-heartedly wondered if she may be a siren but knew full well she was human. The song ended, and she opened her eyes, scanning the crowd of people. Her eyes lighted on him, and a flash of recognition followed by fear showed in her eyes, but she smiled broadly, pushing herself off the stool and replacing the microphone. "Alright guys and girls, let's get this party started!" The cheers and whistles were deafening as the evening's MC took over for her. Leo held out his hand, and she took it to steady herself as she climbed off the stage.

"Alright, Deacon, I'm here," she said, tying her apron around her bulging belly as Deacon moved about behind the bar, serving drinks. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not even a little upset. You see this crowd? That's all you, baby." He winked at her, deftly pouring six shots of tequila without spilling a drop. Her cheeks turned pink, and she quickly turned toward the customers and started serving, blocking everything else out. Her tips were her lifeblood, and on nights that she sang they seemed to double; of course, so did the offers of one-night stands and marriage, but she chose not to think about that.

There was a lull in the rush, and Aurora took the time to lean against the bar, massaging her aching lower back. She hoped the kid came soon because this constant back pain was a nightmare. Someone sat down at the bar, but she kept her head down. "What can I get for you?"

"Beer, any bottle is fine." She froze, recognizing Bobby's voice. She thought she'd seen him in the crowd but chalked it up to her imagination.

"Sure, no problem." Aurora said, pulling herself upright and retrieving a bottle from the cooler and deftly removing the top, shoving the bottle opener in the back pocket of her shorts. She set it on a paper coaster, pushing it toward him. "That'll be $3.50."

"Keep the change," he said, handing her a $5 bill. Aurora nodded to him, ringing up the sale then pocketing the change. "So," he said nonchalantly, turning and surveying the rest of the room, "is it always crowded like this?" 

"Only on Thursdays," she said, wiping down the bar with a cloth to keep her hands busy. If he was going to ask her who she was, she wished he'd just get it over with. 

"Or any night you sing?" It was an innocent question to anyone else, but a minefield to her. She shrugged, putting the rag away and looking him in the eyes for the first time.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" Her voice was even, but there was annoyance beneath the surface. 

He tipped his bottle to her and took a long pull as she fished him another out of the cooler. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"I guess, doesn't mean I'll answer." She pushed the new bottle in front of him, taking away the empty one. 

"Fair enough. Is the baby's father around? You look like you're due any day now." She flinched, unspoken sorrow haunting her eyes, as she looked away quickly. 

"I am, and no, he's—he's gone." She leaned back, trying to stretch her lower back when another customer called from the end of the bar. "I'll be right back." Bobby nodded, sipping his beer.

"Did he know?" Bobby asked when she returned a few minutes later. She ignored the question, concentrating on wiping a stain out of the bar surface. Bobby cleared his throat, and she dropped the rag.

"No, he didn't know. I couldn't tell him or anyone, not with what I had to do to get here. It's safer for everyone involved if nobody knows. And you can stop pretending, I knew you recognized me that day at the garage. Just make sure you call me LJ though, got it? And you can't tell Sam, no one can know about him." She tossed the dirty rag in a bucket and wiped the bar with a dry cloth, glancing up at him.

"It's a boy? Wow," Aurora didn't answer him, shifting her attention to Deacon, who'd come to see if she was all right. 

"Hey," she said, "need something?" She smiled brightly, and Deacon's face softened. 

"Everything alright?" He asked, eyes darting from Aurora to Bobby suspiciously. 

"Yes, Deacon, everything is fine." She patted his arm, smiling warmly. "This is my uncle, Bobby. I haven't seen him for a while because of some—family drama. We were just catching up a bit." Deacon nodded, frowning, unsure if he should say anything else, but LJ seemed fine with him. As he turned to go back to the other end of the bar, she cried out, doubling over like someone just stabbed her. 

Deacon rushed to her, putting his arms around her shoulders as she breathed heavily, then cried out again, then a puddle formed on the floor beneath her. "I—I think—it's time." Aurora forced out between breaths and stabs of pain. Deacon looked around, then remembered the other bartender was out sick. Bobby saw Deacon's look of indecision and stood up, dropping another bill on the bar. 

"I can take her to the hospital, she is my niece after all. It's the least I can do." Aurora glared at him, but it faded quickly when the next contraction hit. Bobby walked around the bar, taking Aurora by the shoulders and steering her through the crowd as the MC's voice cut through the music behind them.

"Alright, make a hole people, The Lodge's favorite bartender is gonna have a baby!" Cheers and applause deafened them as the patrons crowded out of the way, making a path to the door. Once outside, Bobby helped her into his Chevelle's passenger side, then jumped in and sped away toward Sioux Falls General Hospital. 

There was a flurry of activity in the ER as the nurses put Aurora in a wheelchair and took her away to the maternity ward. Aurora couldn't breathe; the pain was so intense, and the nurses kept rapid-firing questions at her. "When did your water break? How far apart are the contractions? Where's the father?" She answered them all through gritted teeth as they transferred her to the bed, strapping various monitors around her. 

Right at that moment, she questioned her sanity in going through with keeping this baby. What the hell was she thinking? She can't take care of a kid! How will she keep him safe?! All those thoughts disappeared when another contraction came, and the pain was the only thing she could focus on. In the dark recesses of her mind, she thought she heard Dean's voice screaming her name. Thirty minutes later, her doctor checked her dilation and moved her legs higher into position.

"Alright, LJ, on the next contraction I'm gonna need you to push as hard as you can okay?" Aurora nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead and ran down her face, dampening her curls and making them cling to the sides of her face. The pain came, and she pushed, growling, and wishing Dean was there so she could punch him. She breathed deeply when the contraction ended, and the doctor glanced up from the end of the bed, smiling. "Good job, LJ, the baby's crowning now, so you need to keep pushing alright?"

Aurora nodded again, breathing deeply as another contraction started, and she pushed, grunting with the effort. This went on several times, and on the last push, Aurora felt the baby leave her, and she laid back on the pillows, breathing heavy and exhausted. She lifted her head, looking around for her child. They'd cut the cord and whisked him across the room to clean him up, and after a few seconds, she heard him give an angry wail. A silent prayer of thanks left her lips at the sound, and the nurse bundled him up and placed her child in her arms.

The rush of affection for this tiny creature was overwhelming, and Aurora knew that no matter how much she loved his father, she'd always love this child more. "Hey there," she breathed, smiling, her free hand cupping the head of downy hair. "So, that's what you look like." He opened his eyes and looked at her as she spoke to him, sucking on one tiny fist. His eyes were the perfect mix of his parents, striking sapphire blue around the iris' outside edge, and his father's bright green color in the middle. 

"Alright, we need to take him to the nursery and get him all cleaned up, are you okay to walk?" Aurora nodded in response, but she didn't look up from her baby's face. The nurses supported her as she walked to the nursery, each step making her feel more like she'd been run over by a truck, then it backed up and ran her over again. 

Aurora handed the baby off to the nurse, who unwrapped him and set him gently in the baby tub. She glanced up through the windows of the nursery to see Bobby standing there, and she gave him a tired smile and a small wave. He waved back, and Aurora thought she saw tears in his eyes.

The nurse handed the baby back to Aurora, leading her out of the nursery and to a recovery room. "Hey, my uncle is outside the nursery, can he come in here? He's the only family I have."

"Alright, what's his name? I'll go get him."

"Bobby Singer," Aurora replied. The nurse disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with Bobby behind her. Aurora nodded to the nurse, who smiled and disappeared again, leaving them alone. 

"Do you want to hold him?" Bobby smiled broadly as she set the baby into the crook of his arm. He walked around the room, bouncing and cooing at the bundle.

"Does he have a name?" Bobby didn't look at her, focusing on the odd color of the child's eyes. 

"Jameson Dean Corwin. I think I'll call him Jamie, but I haven't decided yet." Bobby froze, and all the air suddenly went out of the room. Aurora choked back tears, picking at her cuticles. "Do you think he would've liked it? The name, I mean?"

Bobby gave her a long look, still bouncing little Jamie. Soft coos and gurgles came from the bundle in his arms as he gazed down at him. "I think he would've loved the name." He paused, taking a deep breath, and glanced up, giving her a pointed look. "And everything else," he finished, his voice trembling. 

"I'd give almost anything to have him here." Aurora spoke quietly, staring out the window at the rising sun, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

Bobby walked over to the side of the bed, placing the baby into his mother's waiting arms, then put a hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "Me too, sweetheart. Me too."


	6. July 2012 - September 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a four year time jump in this chapter, and the next chapter will jump another four years.

**_July 2012_ **

“Shit!” Aurora pulled her busted knuckle back and stuck the offending joint in her mouth to soothe it. “Come on, baby, don’t be like that,” Aurora cooed to the car. Jamie sat on the concrete driveway nearby, playing with a die-cast replica of the car his mother was currently sweet-talking and making soft _vroom_ noises. 

“Chit!” he said, sending the toy car hurtling end over end. Aurora’s head popped up from under the hood to give him a stern look. Jamie giggled, looking anywhere but at his mother, who’s expression softened as she wiped her hands on a rag then scooped up her son, settling him on her hip. 

“You can’t say the not nice words that mommy says. We’ve talked about this, haven’t we?” Jamie nodded, his sandy blond curls bobbing. He didn’t look at her, his full lower lip sticking out in a slight pout. 

“I sowwy, mommy,” he said in a small voice, wrapping his arms around Aurora’s neck. She hugged him back, stroking his downy hair and wishing not for the first time that Dean was there to see him grow up. Of course, he’d probably be teaching the kid all the words on purpose. Her lips curled into a sad smile at the thought as she kissed the side of Jamie’s head, setting him down onto his feet and holding out her hand to him. 

“It’s alright baby, just try to do better next time okay? What do you say we go get washed up for dinner?” Jamie nodded, picking up his car and then taking Aurora’s hand and letting her lead him into the house. 

The phone rang as Aurora finished chopping the peppers and onions for spaghetti. “Hello,” she said, pressing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she dumped the vegetables into the skillet with the cooking meat.

“LJ, it’s Sheriff Mills. I wanted to see if you had left for the bar yet, I need to come by and see you before you do.” Aurora was instantly suspicious, using her free hand to hold the phone while she stirred the pan.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just—don’t go anywhere, okay?” Aurora nodded, then realizing she was on the phone, croaked an affirmative answer. The sheriff hung up, and Aurora turned down the stove, letting the sauce simmer until the noodles were done. Jamie sat in his high chair playing with another of his die-cast cars, this one a black ‘67 Impala.

There was a knock at the door, and Aurora went to answer it, her hand resting on the concealed handgun she had tucked in the waistband of her shorts. It was loaded with rock salt bullets, her own creation. Non-lethal to humans, for the most part anyway, but hell on ghosts and demons. Not that she worried about them getting in the house, she made sure it stayed on supernatural lockdown, but regardless, there was always a weapon of some kind handy.

She saw Sheriff Mills’ outline through the curtain and relaxed a little, pulling open the door. “Hey sheriff. Please come in.” The sheriff followed her into the living area, and Aurora gestured to the overstuffed couch, sitting down across from it. “So what was so urgent?” 

Sheriff Mills sat down, stealing a glance around the room. Every available bookshelf was stuffed with supernatural lore, and she wondered if LJ was a hunter. It didn’t matter, that’s not what she was here for, anyway. 

“Please, call me Jody. I don’t know how to say this, but Deacon was in a car accident last night. A drunk driver ran him off the road and he hit a tree. He didn’t survive. While looking for information to notify his next of kin, we came across his will. According to the document and the letter he wrote, he was adopted, didn’t have any siblings, both his parents are dead, and he never had any children. According to the letter, you were the closest he’d come to having a daughter, so he left the bar to you.”

“What?!” Aurora shrieked, startling Jamie, who started crying. Aurora jumped up and got him out of the high chair, then turned off the stove burners, coming back to the living room with Jamie, his face buried in her shoulder. She hummed softly, stroking his back until he calmed, pushing away from his mother and looking at Jody. 

Jody did a double-take when she saw Jamie’s face; the boy was the mirror image of his father, with the exception of his curly hair, and he was still clutching the car in his hand. Clearing her throat, she tried to focus on the reason for her visit. “I’m sorry, I know this is a shock, and it’ll have to make its way through probate and all that, but I wanted to let you know you’ll get a call from a lawyer in a few days.” 

Aurora nodded dumbly, unable to string together a coherent sentence. Jody stood up to leave, waving at Jamie, who smiled broadly at her and waved back. “Funeral?” Aurora croaked. “Will there be a funeral?”

Jody shook her head. “According to his will, he wanted to be cremated.”

Aurora nodded, standing up and setting Jamie on her hip. “Thank you. I’m sure you’re busy, I’ll walk you out.” She opened the door wide, giving Jody plenty of room, then followed her out onto the porch. Jody took one last look at Jamie, then looked at Aurora, studying her. 

“You have a beautiful son,” she said nonchalantly and Aurora murmured a thanks, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Are you raising him all by yourself?” Aurora clenched her teeth, breathing deeply to stay calm. 

“Thank you for your concern, and for letting me know about—everything. And to answer your question since everyone feels they have the right to ask, yes I am. His father was gone before I found out I was pregnant, and now it’s too late and he’ll never know. Good evening, Sheriff.” The look of heartbreak in Aurora’s eyes before she turned and went back into the house and slammed the door behind her made Jody’s eyes mist over. When she got back in her truck, she picked up her phone and dialed Dean’s number. She sighed when it went straight to voicemail, then hung up and called Sam, who answered on the third ring.

“Hey Sam, it’s Jody. Is Dean around?”

“Yeah, we’re in the car. Let me put you on speaker.” 

“Hey, Jody, what’s going on?” Dean’s voice over the speakerphone made her smile a little, remembering Jamie’s wide smile when she waved at him. 

“Nothing much, I was just curious if you know a woman in Sioux Falls, goes by the name LJ Corwin? I think her first name is Lyra? She’s in her mid-twenties, about 5’4”, short curly black hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen in your life? Ring any bells?” Dean shook his head, glancing over at Sam, who looked uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Jody. Doesn’t ring any bells for me. What makes you think I know her?”

“No reason specifically, I just met her adorable little boy today and I would have sworn on a stack of bibles he belongs to you. But if you’ve never met her, I guess not.”

“Hey, Jody?” Sam said. “Just out of curiosity, how old is the boy?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I’d say three, maybe four. Why?” 

“No reason, I was just wondering,” Sam replied.

“Well, sorry to bother you guys, take care out there, alright?” 

“No problem, Jody. We will. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, guys.”

As soon as the call disconnected, Dean glared at Sam, who refused to meet his eyes. “What the hell, Sam? You’re over there looking guilty, what aren’t you telling me?” Sam shifted in the seat, not answering. Dean slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop in the middle of the road, glaring at Sam like he wanted to punch him.

“I-I don’t know anything—for sure. Bobby doesn’t know, but I found some weird pictures on his computer when I was researching the Leviathans.”

“What kind of pictures? Are we talking awkward family photos weird or kinky fetish porn weird?”

“Neither, dude, ew.” Sam grimaced, then continued, “They were pictures of a kid, a boy. It was always just the kid, his mom isn’t in any of the pictures. There’s three or four a year, and they’re saved to his hard drive. They started in August of 2008 and the most recent one was last month.”

“What’s your point, Sam?”

“He looks just like you, like he could be your miniature twin.” Dean shook his head in denial of Sam’s words, stomping on the accelerator and squealing the tires, leaving black marks on the asphalt behind them.

“There’s no way. Unless I was super drunk one night before I went to hell, which I admit is a possibility, I don’t know anyone in Sioux Falls named LJ, or Lyra, and the only other woman I remember being with since I got back from hell is Lisa. Before hell, it was Aurora’s birthday in 2007.” Silence fell across the car as they each did the math and came to the same conclusion. 

“It can’t be,” Dean whispered to himself. “When was the last time Aurora texted you?”

“April 30th, 2008, Dean, you know this. You’re the one who answered it, remember?”

“Right…” his voice trailed off. “And you’re sure there weren’t any more from a different number?” 

“Yes, Dean, I’m sure,” Sam said patiently. “She cut contact as soon as she knew you were gone.”

“Then I’m not worried about it. It can’t be my kid. It can’t be. Besides, we have more important stuff to worry about right now. ” Even as he said the words, Dean wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince more, Sam or himself.

“What’s more important than a possible kid, Dean?” Sam asked, grimacing at Dean’s flippant attitude. 

“I don’t know, Sam, maybe saving the world so said kid can grow up?” Dean snapped, not wanting to talk about this any more, so he cranked up the radio volume. Sam stared at him, and not wanting to yell over the blaring music, stared out the window.

**_September 2012_ **

The last couple of months had been a blur, between the reading of Deacon’s will and navigating probate court, Aurora just wanted it to be over with when the last of the title transfer paperwork was signed. Now, she stood in the middle of the closed bar with a dozen bags of rock salt, a hammer, and a crowbar, while Jamie played with his cars on the dance floor. It would take hours to get this bar up to her standards of supernatural lockdown, but she didn’t have a choice. She might not be able to protect anyone outside the walls, she would do what she could to protect those inside while they were there. 

She spent the next several hours prying baseboards free, pouring unbroken lines of rock salt, then replacing the boards. Then she painted the devil’s trap she’d seen in one of Bobby’s books on the inside of each door, and last, she added some new loaded decor of her own, taking Bobby’s statement all those years ago to heart. For good measure, she buried hex bags around the perimeter of the building. At least if nothing else, The Lodge could be a haven for hunters, a place to really relax and be free of the supernatural for a while. By the time she finished, her back ached and her fingers felt like she’d taken the hammer to them instead of the nails, but it was done. 

The next night, Aurora stood on the stage in front of a packed bar. It brought tears to her eyes to see how many people turned out for the Grand Reopening/Deacon’s Memorial Party. Even Sheriff Mills was there, dressed in plain clothes and greeting those who recognized her. “Alright everyone, I’d like to have your attention please. We’re here tonight for two reasons. One, to celebrate the life and memory of Deacon Black,” she paused as the crowd erupted in shouts and cheers, continuing as the racket died down, “and two, to celebrate the Grand Reopening of The Lodge!” The bar erupted in thundering cheers again and Aurora held up her hands to quiet them. “So have some drinks, dance, and celebrate whatever it is that brought you out here tonight. Just remember, if you wanna fight, take it outside, because if anybody gets blood on that freshly waxed dance floor, there will be hell to pay. I’m just sayin’.” Laughter floated around the room as Aurora finished her speech. “So now, I’m going to turn it over tonight’s DJ and get out of your faces. I’ll be behind the bar if anyone wants a drink.” Thunderous applause followed her off the stage as the DJ took over and Aurora made her way through the crowd toward the bar.

Jody made her way to the bar, and got lucky enough to find an open barstool. She sat down on it, waiting until the initial rush had calmed before getting Aurora’s attention. When Aurora had filled all the drink orders, she started wiping down the bar and trying to pretend the sheriff wasn’t sitting there watching her. “Love what you’ve done with the place,” Jody said casually. The music was loud, but Aurora could hear her just fine. 

“What can I get for you sheriff, or are you on duty?” Aurora’s tone was cool, and her expression guarded. Jody understood both, given how their last meeting went. 

“I’ll take whatever’s on tap,” she replied. Aurora nodded, grabbing a glass from the cooler and filling it with just the right amount of head on the beer. She slid it in front of Jody without a word, and went back to mopping up spills on the bar top. Jody took a sip, trying to decide what to say. She set down the mug, tracing lines in the condensation with her fingers. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time we met. I know it was none of my business, it’s just that he looked so much like someone I know and my curiosity took over. If I offended you, I’m sorry.”

Aurora shrugged, not looking up from her task. “It’s fine, I’m used to it. Although people ask less now than they used to. I just don’t see why it’s a big deal if people know where Jamie’s father is.”

“So they can gossip and judge him for running out on his responsibility as a father.” Jody spoke simply, but Aurora had a feeling there was some hidden meaning behind the words. “Is that what he did?”

“Absolutely not! Things were—complicated—for both of us, when I got pregnant with Jamie and there was never a good time to tell him with everything going on and then we fell out of touch, and I don’t know where he is now. I know where he was, and I’m assuming he’s still there.” Aurora got called to the other end of the bar to fill orders, leaving Jody to sip her beer. She returned a few minutes later, leaning over the bar to grab coasters. “Sorry about that, duty calls. Is there something else you wanted to know, sheriff?” Jody heard the warning in Aurora’s tone, but decided to just go for it. 

“I noticed you have a lot of supernatural and mythology books on your shelves at home. Are you into that sort of thing?” Aurora’s face blanched for a split second, then turned completely blank. 

“Call it a hobby, bordering on obsession. Based on personal experience, knowledge is power, Sheriff.” Aurora reached far enough across the bar for the anti-possession charm necklace Dean gave her to fall out of its hiding place beneath her tank top. She felt her cheeks heat up when Jody’s eyes widened in recognition as she dropped it back into its place. 

“You know, I know a lot of people that have tattoos of that symbol, I’m curious what it is.” Jody didn’t need any further confirmation that in some six degrees of separation way, they knew the same hunters. Aurora, sensing what the sheriff was up to, regarded her with a cold stare. 

“Google is your friend, sheriff. Beer’s on the house.” Aurora walked away from her, going to the other end of the bar to check on her customers, then disappeared into the crowd when the DJ called her up to the stage again. 

“Alright you guys, let's give it up for the fine, and I do mean _fine_ , new owner of The Lodge, LJ Corwin!” Drunken cheering and thunderous applause shook the walls of the bar as Aurora took the stage. “Tonight, we have a very special surprise for you guys that Deacon and LJ were putting together. It’s LJ’s Greatest Hits Hour! That’s right folks, for the next hour only you can request any song and if LJ knows it, she’ll sing it. Are you guys ready?” Whistles, applause, and shouted song names floated through the air. 

Jody spun around on the barstool, leaning against the bar to watch the show unfold. Jody had never actually been at the bar when LJ sang, but she’d heard stories of her extraordinary range, even Bobby mentioned it once. She finished her beer, tapping her feet to the rhythm of the music. The stage lights brightened the blue streaks in LJ’s hair as she closed out the hour with the crowd favorites. Jody’s eyes misted as LJ sang “We’ve Got Tonight”, her voice cracking with raw emotion, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she sang the last notes of “House of the Rising Sun.” Jody quickly swiped her tears as the last notes faded and the cheers threatened to blow the roof off the bar. 

Leo passed LJ her signature drink and she held it up in a toast. “For you, Deacon, you will always be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.” She downed the drink as the customers did the same, then put the microphone back on the stand. “Alright everybody, that’s all my voice can take for tonight, and it’s about an hour until last call, so get them while you can. Thanks everyone.” She blew kisses at the captive audience, then exited the stage, letting the DJ take over.

“Lemme just say it now. Isn’t our girl awesome? Give it up for LJ you guys!” A crash of applause had her smiling and waving as she walked back to the bar. “I can’t hear you guys! Make some noise!” Aurora thought the roar of the crowd would collapse the building as she hurried back to the bar to serve thirsty customers. She didn’t think she’d be able to talk, let alone sing, for a few days at least, but it was worth it for Deacon. Aurora only wished she agreed to it when he was still alive to see it.

Jody was still sitting at the bar when they flipped on the lights and sent everyone out, and Aurora eyed her with suspicion. She didn’t have any friends, and she liked it that way. It was her way of guaranteeing Jamie’s safety as best she could, and now this sheriff shows up asking questions about Jamie and it made Aurora want to run out on everything she was trying to build here. “Sheriff, what the hell are you still doing here?” Aurora stared at Jody, hands on her hips. “What do you want from me?” Her voice was low, but without music all the employees left in the bar could hear her, and they watched nervously. 

“I just want to talk,” Jody said, holding out her hands in a gesture of truce.

“Fine, follow me.” Aurora headed toward the office, calling back over her shoulder toward the other employees. “Everything is fine, finish your side work and get the hell outta here. I mean it.” A chorus of good natured grumbles followed behind her as she shut the door to her office behind Jody. 

“You wanted to talk? Talk. What do you want to say?” Aurora cocked one hip on the corner of the desk and crossed her arms, waiting.

“I want to talk about your son.” Jody sat down on the only available chair in front of the desk, crossing her arms and setting her jaw. She would have confirmation one way or the other. 

Aurora threw up her arms, circling around the desk. “This again? Look, sheriff, you said you wanted to talk and I agreed to do that, not be subject to an interrogation about my baby’s father. Why does it matter to you?” 

“Why doesn’t it matter to you?” The air in the room turned frigid as Aurora regarded Jody with a stare that could freeze the fires of hell. Jody blinked, but didn’t back down.

“First of all, you know nothing, _nothing_ , about any of it. He’s—he’s _gone_ , and he isn’t ever coming back, not ever, and that matters to me. It matters because the only person on this planet I love more than that man is my son. It matters because his son will never know his father, because his father is gone and never knew he existed in the first place.” Aurora’s jaw muscles quivered as she clenched her teeth to try and stop her lip from trembling. She unclenched her fists, realizing she probably looked like she wanted to punch things, and she did, primarily Jody Mills’ face.

By the time Aurora finished speaking, Jody’s expression and demeanor had softened. Aurora sat down in the desk chair, exhausted all the way to her bones. “Does that answer your question?” Even her voice was tired and she couldn’t keep the defeat from her voice. “If it does, please just go. I have work to do.” 

“No, I’m not done. I have more questions. Are you a hunter?”

“No.”

“Do you know hunters?”

“Yes. Well, I did once. Not so much now.”

“Who gave you that necklace?”

“A hunter.”

“Who?”

“Not gonna happen, Jody.” Aurora’s voice had a tone of warning and when she didn’t look up from the purchase order she was completing, Jody made a face. 

“What are you hiding?”

Aurora dropped her pen and stared at her over the top of the desk lamp. “Look, whatever you think you know equates to a mouse fart in a thunderstorm. There’s a reason things are the way they are, and it’s only partly to do with Jamie’s father. There are reasons for why I chose not to tell him and they are none of your business, but have everything to do with his safety, not to mention the safety of our son. So please, I beg you, drop it.”

Jody decided to try a different approach. What did she have to lose now? “You know that Dean Winchester is one of the best hunters that’s ever lived, right? He’s the one monsters are afraid of, not the other way around.”

“Who the hell is Dean Winchester?” Aurora surprised even herself that she managed to say that without flinching. The stony facade of her face didn’t crack, not even a little, even though she was certain her heart would never be whole again.

 _Oooh, she’s good._ “That’s impressive, I’ll give you that. How long did you have to practice that? Hate to tell you, but your eyes give you away.” Jody tapped her eye socket gently. “They’re too haunted, like your soul is being ripped apart. Should probably work on that.”

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and even if I did, my answer would be the same, because I don’t need you or anyone else waking things up that should damn well be left sleeping.”

“You don’t think your son has the right to know who his father is? I don’t believe that, because you clearly love the man. Why wouldn’t you want him to know his father?”

“I never said he wouldn’t or that I didn’t. That’s one of those things you think you know but you don’t. Did it ever occur to you that maybe his father wouldn’t want to know him?”

“No, no it hasn’t. Because whether you admit it or not, I’m 99% sure we’re talking about the same man, and if that’s the case there is a greater than 100% chance he would want to know his son. Jamie’s father is a good man, one of the best I know.” 

Aurora picked up her pen, then dropped it again. Why did Jody keep referring to Dean as though he were alive and not in hell? It didn’t matter, she wasn’t about to ask. She shook her head, picking up the pen again with a trembling hand, and resumed writing. 

“By the way, you aren’t the only one lying. When I asked Dean if he knew you, he said no, he didn’t know anyone by the name LJ, but yet, that child is Dean’s and anyone with eyes can see it. How is that possible if you two don’t know each other?”

Aurora buried her face in her hands, rubbing it vigorously to try and stay awake and not strangle the sheriff, as well as hide her shock at the admission that Dean was not, in fact, in hell. He also hadn’t tried to contact her. _Damn it, this woman is making me crazy!_ This must be what CIA torture interrogations felt like. First was the sleep deprivation, then came the waterboarding. 

“Damn it, Jody. He doesn’t know me, and I told you I don’t know who he is. I won’t tell you anything else, simply because I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone, I can’t afford to when my life, my son’s life, and his father’s life are at risk. And I’m not making that up, if the wrong people find out about my son, that’s it for all of us. You _have_ to stop pushing this, right now, or else you could be responsible for getting a four year old boy killed. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not, but—”

“Then let it go.” Aurora went back to her paperwork, leaving Jody to see herself out. 


	7. June 2016 Part 1

**_ June 2016 _ **

"Hey kiddo, how was the movie?" Aurora looked up from under the Chevelle's hood, waving to her neighbor as she drove away, and Jamie trudged up the driveway. His mouth drooped at the corners, and there was no sign of her happy boy anywhere. She set down the socket she'd been using and wiped her hands on a rag, then ruffled his curly mop. 

"Mooom," he whined, trying not to smile and flattening his hair. It was curly like hers and just as unruly, but it was the same color as Dean's, a warm sandy blonde. Aurora loved his hair, and she was always messing up the curls, driving the kid crazy. 

"You wanna help?" She picked up the ratchet again and held it out to him. Mom never let him touch the Chevelle. He swallowed, taking the tool and paying close attention as she explained how to use it, and he grinned at her when she encouraged him to try on his own. 

His eyes lit up when he fastened down the last bolt of the ones she'd instructed him to do. "I did it! This is great! How do you know this stuff? Will you teach me?" She smiled at him, pulling him into a hug and kissing his mussed hair. 

"Yes, you did great! I learned on my own and someone special taught me a lot too. I've rebuilt this car twice, sweetheart. And yes, you're old enough now, I can teach you. It's time you learned some other things as well." Jamie saw the faraway look in Aurora's eyes that she sometimes got and wondered again what it was she was so determined to keep them hidden from. It was the only thing his mind could come up with about why she kept loaded weapons and sharp pointy objects all over the house and called them "decor," and Jamie often wondered how he had survived his toddlerhood with all his limbs intact. And then there was the fact his mom kept everyone at arm's length, as though she were afraid they'd find out some terrible secret or something.

"Mom?" 

"Hmm?" She didn't look at him, busying herself with cleaning up the scattered tools she'd been using.

"The other kids say I don't have a dad because he left you alone to raise me. Their parents are always talking about you and how you're single because you already have a kid and nobody wants that burden. They also say there must be something wrong with you for my father to leave you like that. I get so mad I just want to punch all of them." Jamie picked up a socket and started polishing it with the rag like he'd seen Aurora do since he could walk. "Is it true?" 

Aurora snorted, slamming the hood of the Chevelle. "Don't worry about what those idiots say. Jamie, I don't have anyone because I'm not interested in anyone, besides, I don't have time for a man. And trust me, I don't give a damn what any of them think. I know the truth and that's what matters to me." Aurora was stalling because she _really_ didn't want to be having this conversation with him. Not yet. She'd hoped he would be older, but here they were already. 

"So did my father not want to be a dad and left us?" 

"No. That is absolutely not true. Jamie, look at me." Aurora knelt down to be eye level with him, taking him gently by the shoulders. "Your father is a good man, and he's saved the world a couple of times—or so I was told, anyway."

"If he's such a good man, why isn't he here? Is it me? Does he not want me?" Tears filled the boy's eyes, and he started crying. Aurora pulled him to her, the same as she'd done when he was a baby, hugging him close.

"Shh, honey, don't cry. It's not you. You haven't done anything wrong. He's not here—" she paused, swallowing the lump in her throat before continuing, "he's not here because he can't be right now. And because he doesn't know about you, at least I don't think he does."

"Why not?" He pulled away from her, swiping angrily at the tears on his cheeks. "Didn't you tell him about me?" 

Aurora's heart broke for him, and she wished with all her being that things could be as simple as he thought they were. She stroked his hair, cupping his face in her hands. "Listen to me, Jamie. It's complicated, and I'm not sure how much you'll understand if I try to explain it. 

"Please?" Jamie's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he looked so much like Dean at that moment she felt herself getting teary eyed. 

"Alright," she nodded. "But first, let's get washed up and get dinner started. "Then, I'll try to explain it." Aurora stood, holding out her hand for him, just like she'd always done. It was the one permanent thing that Jamie knew he could count on. No matter what, Mom would be there.

After dinner, Jamie and Aurora went to the living room and sat together on the couch. Aurora took a deep breath, unsure of where to begin. "Alright, I said we would talk. What do you want to know?"

"Will you tell me about my father? You never talk about him. Why?"

"Jamie," she sighed. "It's complicated."

"You always say that, mom, but sometimes adults make things more complicated than they really are."

"You're right, son. How'd you get to be so smart, huh?"

"Must've got it from my father." Aurora shot him a look of mock indignation, grabbing him around the shoulders and mussing his curls, then tickling him until he begged her to stop. "Mooom!"

"Alright, alright." She sighed, rubbing her hands down her face. "You see all these books, notes, and journals?"

"Yes, mom, it's impossible to miss them—they're _everywhere_. What does that have to do with him?"

"I'll get there. Patience, grasshopper." She smiled at him, and Jamie rolled his eyes but listened intently.

"All of the creatures in those books, they're real, and your father and uncle hunt them. It's what he does and it's why he's not here." Jamie stared at her, oscillating between thinking she was crazy and wanting to believe her. "I know it's hard to believe, but I've seen some of them. Mostly the demons, but occasionally some other things too."

Jamie wasn't sure what to think, but his mom wouldn't lie to him, not about something like that anyway. Santa Claus and Easter Bunny, maybe, but not this. He nodded slowly, to show he understood. "Do you hunt them like he does?"

"No, I don't go looking for them, but if they threaten you or me, I'll do what needs to be done to keep us safe." Jamie nodded again, chewing his lip.

"How did you and my father meet? If he's a hunter and you're not, does that mean he saved you from something?"

"Oh, sweetheart, your father saved me from a lot of things, he just never knew it. No, the night I met him, I was on my way back to college and my car, the Chevelle out there in the driveway, broke down. He and your uncle stopped and picked me up and we came back to get my car the next morning, but demons had torched it. We spent two weeks and four days rebuilding that car from the frame." Aurora sighed softly as the memories of that time flooded her mind. And she thought things were complicated then.

"You mean that's the same car you had when you two met? No wonder you won't let anyone touch it."

"Except you." He smiled at her words but said nothing. "Anyway, by the time I left to go back to school I was hopelessly in love with him, but I didn't see him again for a little over a year. And when I did, it was the last time I ever saw him and I got you out of it." Aurora swallowed hard, determined not to tell her son about anything else that happened that night, or what she did in the months following to ensure their survival.

"Do you still love him, mom?" 

"Always, Jamie." She paused, swallowing hard. "Always."

"Does he love you?"

"That, my dear, is complicated. Your father is a complicated man. He'd sacrifice his own happiness to save others, and he has in the past, but he never lets anyone close enough to know how he really feels. People that get too close tend to die because of what he does. But I think he does love me, or at least he did, once." _Mom is right; this stuff is complicated._ Jamie struggled to wrap his brain around all that she said. 

"What are their names?" Aurora's heart stopped for a moment, and she took a calming breath.

"Your father's name is Dean. Dean Winchester. Your uncle's name is Sam."

Jamie's face lit up. "Wait, I'm named after my dad?" Aurora thought his face might crack in two from the width of his smile.

"Of course you are, and I know you'll grow up to be a good man, just like him."

"Maybe I'll be a hunter too." He was still grinning, and Aurora's heart tightened a little.

"Maybe you will. I hope you don't, but that's only because I want you safe." Jamie nodded, trying to keep his hope contained. At least now he had a name, he might be able to search for him by himself.

"Oh, and Jamie?"

"Yes, mom?" He said distractedly, his fingers itching to get to his keyboard.

"Don't believe everything you see on the internet about your father. Most of it isn't true." _How did she do that? Could she read his mind?_ Jamie looked at her, incredulous, then nodded, his smile fading. 

Aurora patted his knee. "Why don't you go get ready for bed, and I'll come tuck you in after I clean up the kitchen, okay?" Jamie nodded, turning toward his room. "Hey," she said, and he turned to her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." He shuffled into his room, and Aurora stood at the sink, washing the dinner dishes. A thunderous crash and the sound of breaking glass came from Jamie's room, and Aurora grabbed the shotgun she kept under the island, pumping a round into the chamber. 

"Mom! Help me!" Jamie screamed, and Aurora ran down the hallway, bursting into his room, the door hitting the wall hard so hard it came off one hinge. The smell of sulfur made her gag, and she raised the shotgun higher, taking aim at the demon who had a death grip on Jamie, holding a blade to his throat.

"Demon, take your disgusting meathooks hands off my son or I'll blow your fucking head off." She muttered the exorcism words, but it didn't work, and the demon laughed at her. "What the hell?" Great, Mathias must have shared his nasty demon linking spell. As if it wasn't bad enough they'd managed to get into the house at all. Aurora swallowed hard, taking another step toward them as she tried to get a better shot. 

"Ah, ah, ah," the demon replied, black eyes staring through her as he stepped backward and pressed the blade harder into Jamie's neck, sending a trickle of blood running along his skin. "Mathias sends his regards."

Aurora looked at Jamie, fury and fear, creasing her face as she struggled to stay calm for her son. "It's alright baby, don't be scared. I'm coming for you." Jamie gave a slight nod, swallowing hard as the blade held to his throat bobbed with the movement, then they both were gone. She dropped the shotgun and hit her knees, letting out an eardrum rupturing scream. 

Breathing deeply to keep from hyperventilating, she pressed the button on her phone to call Jody. She was the only sheriff Aurora knew that would understand what just happened, and she needed help. Jody picked up on the third ring, and Aurora let out a breath of relief.

"Hey, Jody. It's LJ." Jody's eyes widened with surprise on the other end of the phone, and she let out a strangled cough.

"What can I do for you?" she replied.

"I have a problem. My son has been kidnapped—by a demon, and I'm almost positive I know where they took him. It's time Dean knows about his son. Can you get in touch with him?" Dumbstruck, Jody remained silent. After all the years LJ spent denying it, she just spits it out like that. What the hell was going on? 

"Jody, are you there?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm here. How do you know where they took him?"

"There's really not time to explain, but my father sent the demon after Jamie. The bastard knows I will come for my son and I will get him back with or without help." The determination in her voice rang through clearly on the other end of the line.

"Dean and Sam are both here, in Sioux Falls. They just finished clearing out a vamp nest."

"Good, meet me at my house in thirty minutes. It's a long drive to get where I'm going and I need to pack." The line went dead, leaving Jody staring at her phone as Dean walked up, wiping blood off his machete. 

"Something wrong?" he said. Jody shook her head, trying to make sense of everything. Sam joined them, a look of concern on his face. "Jody? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But yes, there's something wrong. You guys up for some demon hunting?" The brothers glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Sure, where are we going?" Dean asked.

"Follow me." 

Twenty minutes later, Jody parked her truck in the driveway of a modest craftsman style house as Dean parked on the street. He scanned the darkened corners of the yard, his eyes stopping on the primer colored Chevelle that sat in the driveway, silhouetted by the yellow garage light. The memories of him and Aurora rebuilding her Chevelle flooded his mind, making his chest tighten with longing as he shoved them away and called out to Jody. 

"Who's house is this?" Something didn't feel right, and it made him nervous. Hell, even Jody looked nervous.

"It's LJ's house, Dean. Her son was kidnapped by a demon about an hour ago." Jody blew out a deep breath, steadying her nerves. 

_Why did that name sound so familiar?_ Dean leaned against the car, trying to remember, then it came to him, and he frowned at Jody. "Wait—you mean the woman I don't know, but she has a kid that looks like me? That LJ?" The porch light flipped on, and the three of them turned toward the porch as Aurora stepped out, closing the door behind her.

"Hello, Dean." He turned toward her, mouth open. The light shone on her back, creating a halo around her, glinting off her short black curls, and accentuating the blue streaks in her hair. Her eyes and face were hidden by shadows, but he'd know her voice anywhere.

"Aurora?!" Sam bounded up the steps and scooped her into a hug, setting her down quickly. She gave him a small smile, but her eyes were worried.

"Hey, Sam." 

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Jody demanded. Sam and Aurora both turned toward Jody, looking guilty. "I knew there was more to this story ever since I first laid eyes on that kid. You—" she pointed at Dean. "Start talking."

Dean held his hands up in surrender. "I know as much as you do, I think Sam knows more than both of us, but she's the only one that has the full story, and apparently—" he clenched his jaw, glaring at her, "she decided not to share it with anyone."

She matched his glare with her own. "Says the man that came back from hell and didn't bother to drop a line. Really Dean? You want to go there? You know how I found out you were still alive?" She pointed an accusing finger at Jody. "Four years, Dean. Four years I thought you were trapped in hell, only to find out that no, you got out and didn't tell me. Okay fine, I'll forgive that. Being trapped in hell is probably bound to make anyone crazy for a while. But then four more years goes by, and still nothing. That—that I can't forgive." Dean swallowed, saying nothing.

"Uh, guys?" Sam said, glancing around the neighborhood at the porch lights flipping on in response to the noise. "We should probably take this inside."

"No, Sam, I have to find my son. I told him I was coming for him and I meant it." Aurora stomped down the steps, yanking the trunk of the Chevelle open and throwing her bag inside.

"Aurora, wait. We need a plan." Sam pleaded with her, and she paused, turning toward him.

"I have a plan, Sam, I am going to kill every last demon that stands between me and my son or die trying. That's my plan. All we have is each other, and I won't let him down, not while I'm still breathing." She gave Dean a pointed look, but he refused to look at her. 

"That's not true, you have us. We're family now." Sam said, smiling a little. Aurora relaxed slightly, but only until Dean opened his mouth.

"Whoa Sam, how am I supposed to be sure the kid is mine?" 

"You son of a bitch!" Aurora shrieked as she sprang toward Dean, ready to claw his eyes out. Sam wrapped a strong arm around her waist, and tears fell from her eyes as she beat her fists against Sam's grip. "Let me go, Sam!"

"That was low Dean, even for you." Sam said quietly, throwing Aurora over his shoulder as she beat her fists on his back, and he walked back toward the door of the house. Dean shrugged, and Jody glared at him, following Sam inside. He set Aurora down gently, keeping an arm about her waist in case she went after Dean again. She stopped struggling against his grip, and he let go. "Are you going to behave now?"

She nodded, answering in a low voice. "He isn't worth it." The venom in her words made them all flinch, even Dean. Aurora flopped down on the couch, breathing hard. Between her fear for Jamie's safety and her fury at both Dean and her father, she couldn't think clearly. 

Sam and Jody sat on the couch across from her, while Dean paced the room, picking things up and setting them down again. "Will you tell me the truth now?" Jody asked. Aurora sighed, defeated. 

"Fine. Where would you like me to start?"

"How about with your name? Your real name," Jody said pointedly.

"Aurora Jane Cordell." 

Jody gasped, shaking her head. "No, that's impossible. Aurora's dead and has been for nine years. That explosion was national news." 

"Obviously not," Dean quipped from across the room as he wandered around, checking out Aurora's bookshelves. "But apparently she can't pick up a phone either." He picked up a journal, pretending to not be listening to their murmured conversation and thumbing through the pages of Aurora's notes on spells and various other supernatural things when a photograph fluttered to the floor. He picked it up, the room falling silent as everyone turned to look at him.

It was a photo of Aurora and Jamie, smiling big for the camera. A birthday hat perched precariously on a mop of sandy blond curls. Mossy green eyes with rimmed in sapphire blue stared back at him, caught forever in a moment of pure happiness, his cheek pressed next to his mother's. Dean's chest tightened, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. The room began to spin, and he stumbled toward the dining table, collapsing into one of the chairs. 

"Dean?" Sam got up and moved to the table where Dean sat, elbows on his knees, head bowed. He said nothing, just held out the photo to Sam, keeping his head bent. Sam took it, smiling broadly as he gazed into his nephew's face. Aurora came and stood beside Sam, followed by Jody. 

"That picture was taken last year, on his birthday. Is that proof enough for you, Dean, or are you going to insist on a blood test too? You know, he asked me just today about you and you know what I told him? Hmm? I told him that his father was a good man that would sacrifice his own happiness if it meant saving someone else and that someday, he'd grow up to be like that too. Obviously that's the Dean Winchester I used to know, not the one here right now. The Dean I knew wouldn't have been quite as much of a dick." She crossed her arms and stared at him as he raised his head, glaring at her. "Do you even care, Dean?"

"Of course I care!" He bellowed. Sam and Jody flinched, but Aurora didn't even blink. "Eight years, Aurora! I have a son and you didn't tell me, for eight years! What? You couldn't pick up a phone either? Were you ever planning to tell me?"

He stood in front of her, glaring, his eyes darkening like the sky before a storm. She stood, defiant, meeting him with an icy stare of her own. "No. I wasn't." Her tone was cold as she held his glare, waiting. Dean growled at her, then turned away. 

"Why?" 

"Because it wasn't safe. Mathias was still looking for me and I was afraid if I reached out to you guys, he'd find out somehow and—" she took a deep breath, "do exactly what he's done anyway. Dean, Mathias sent the demon to kidnap Jamie. He knows I will come for my son, it's what he wants." A charged silence fell across the room as Dean turned back to her. 

"I told you, Aurora. I told you nine years ago that I will end Mathias Cordell if it's the last thing on earth I do. If you thought I meant it then, you haven't seen anything yet. Are you going to try and stop me this time? Are you still daddy's punching bag?"

"Screw you, Dean. You can be spiteful and vindictive to me all you want, but I will tell you one thing, you're gonna have to get in line to kill Mathias. Because that bastard—he's mine. He poked the hornet's nest and I've got a lifetime of pent up rage. He's about to have a very bad day." 

Sam's gaze darted between Aurora and Dean, who were standing inches apart now. "Dean, stop it, you're acting like you didn't know this was a possibility four years ago. You're trying to put all the blame on her, and that's not fair."

Aurora turned her glare on Sam. "What?! You guys knew? Unbelievable!" She threw up her hands and walked toward the door. 

"Damn it, Sam!" Dean growled, glaring at him.

Sam shrugged. "You knew, Dean. Somewhere deep in your gut, you knew and you ignored it. That's on you, not her. She's not totally blameless, but it isn't all her fault either, and you know it."

"Can we focus, please?" Jody said, reigning everyone in. "LJ—Aurora, where did your father take Jamie?"

"Most likely Chicago. I'll need to do a tracking spell to make sure though." Aurora replied.

Dean's face pinched into a look of disgust. "So you're a witch now? Or were you always one?"

"Dean, don't." Sam interjected. "Now is not the time."

"It's okay, Sam, he has a right to know if the mother of his child is something he considers a monster." Aurora leveled her gaze at Dean, keeping her voice even. 

Dean tilted his head, spreading his arms, palms outstretched, then folding his hands and waiting for her to answer. "Well?"

"I've never used magic for anything other than protection and the occasional tracking spell when Jody needed help locating missing people. If that makes me a monster in your eyes, I'm sorry. I don't see it that way, and it's kept our son safe since the day he was born. I've never tried to hurt anyone, I don't do hexes or curses or any of that. I refuse to."

"Why?" Jody asked, ignoring the black look on Dean's face.

"Because," Aurora replied, turning toward her, "when a witch casts a spell, they pull energy from the universe itself into them, manifesting it into the spell they're casting, and that energy feeds off emotion. For example, if I were to cast a hex or curse on someone, I would have to draw the dark energy of the universe inside myself and it would feed off my anger, making the spell stronger. It's why some witches—like my father, go insane. I know myself well enough to know that I have waay too many negative emotions to even attempt it."

"That explains a lot, actually," Sam said, looking at Dean. Emotions warred on Dean's face, and Sam wasn't sure which ones were winning.

"Is Jamie a witch too?" Dean asked in a low voice.

Aurora regarded him with cold indifference. "Not yet. He hasn't shown any interest in it. Up until today, he didn't know any of it was actually real. If he shows interest, I will teach him. If not, I won't. I won't force him to do anything. Why do you ask, Dean? Are you weighing the decision of whether to murder your child and his mother because you _think_ they're monsters? Despite not seeing any proof? Well, if you're going to kill me, let's get to it, because right now you're standing between me and Jamie, and I don't give a damn if you're the best hunter alive I will kill you if you get in the way of me getting my son back."

Sam and Jody stared at them, wide-eyed and unsure of what to do next. The tone of Aurora's voice and her steely gaze told Sam she meant every word of her threat. He glanced at Dean and saw a flicker of something he thought was rage in his eyes. Sam raised his hands, moving around them like they were wild animals about to attack until he stopped beside Dean. "I believe her, Dean. If she was a bad witch, we would have heard about her already. Hell, Jody would've called us herself, you know this."

"Bad witch? This isn't friggin Wizard of Oz, Sam," Dean snarled, not taking his eyes off Aurora.

Sam pursed his lips, frowning. "You know what I meant, Dean."

Dean sighed. "Fine. But when, not if—when you turn bad, I'll kill you myself." He pointed a finger at Aurora, who nodded back to him.

"You won't have to. If I turn bad, I'll kill myself. I wouldn't be able to live knowing I hurt innocent people. I swear it on Jamie's life." She held up two fingers and crossed her heart, murmuring a spell then kissed the tips of her fingers, binding her to it. "Now, can I please cast the spell and find him?"

Dean waved his hand. "Fine. Do it."

Aurora cast the spell, watching as the pendulum flew to Chicago on the map that lay spread across the dining room table. "I knew it, that bastard took him to his house."

"I guess we're going to Chicago. Are you two going to be able to sit in a car together for eight hours?" Sam asked, eyeing Dean and Aurora.

When Dean hesitated, Aurora spoke up instead. "It's fine, Sam. I'll take the Chevelle, it's road ready. Jamie helped me finish it earlier today. Besides, maybe you'll be able to talk sense into him if I'm not there. Probably not, but it can't hurt, right?" Sam gave her a tight smile, and she patted his arm as she walked past him to the door. She cast a sad look in Dean's direction, then opened the door. "It's a long drive, boys, try to keep up," she said, disappearing out the door.

~~~~

"Dean—" Sam said, turning in the seat toward him.

"Don't Sam. We're not talking about this." He cranked up the radio to drown him out, staring at the tail lights of the Chevelle, and wondering what kind of opposite land he was in. He didn't hate Aurora, did he? It sure felt that way now, and the Mark on his arm tingled. He loved her more than life itself at one time, but that was a long time ago. Didn't he still? 

Sam switched off the radio, jerking Dean out of his thoughts. "Damn it, Dean. Yes, we are talking about this."

"Why, Sam? What difference will talking about it make?" Dean snapped, glancing at him. It had started raining, and road mist coated the windshield as Aurora accelerated, weaving in and out of the interstate traffic. 

"Because, you're not just being a dick, you're being a great big overstuffed bag of them. Not to mention the hypocrisy you spewed back there. You threatened to kill _Aurora_ , the mother of your only child, and a woman I know full well you still love, based on an assumption that she will go all wicked witch? You realize her name _literally_ means 'light', right? If she was going to go bad, don't you think she would have done it long before now? And you say all of that while you're wearing a Mark that drives you to kill? Seriously?" Sam sighed, shaking his head and staring out through the windshield, watching Aurora change lanes again.

"Well, this is a change. You were the one who couldn't wait to be rid of her when we first met her and now you' re—you're what, defending her? Why Sam? Are you in love with her too?"

"Stop it. Just stop. Alright? This isn't you talking, it's the Mark," Sam said, trying to avoid the question. "And no, I'm not in love with her. So who else are you referring to, because it sure as hell isn't you, not the way you treated her. You don't threaten to kill someone you love."

Dean sighed, cursing under his breath as he changed lanes again, pressing the accelerator to the floor to keep up with Aurora, and silence fell between them for several minutes. "I know, Sam," he sighed again. "But I did, and I can't change that. So where does that leave us?"

"Well, you could start with an apology. It won't make everything better, but it might be a start to rebuilding that bridge you just blew up with a truckload of dynamite. You should probably also get your act together, because one way or another, you're going to meet your son in a few hours, and Aurora told him you were a good man. How 'bout you not disappoint him, okay?" Sam leaned back, resting his head on the back of the seat, and closed his eyes, not only to try and get some sleep but also to put an end to the conversation.


	8. June 2016 Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Latin in this chapter is based on a google translation I did of a short poem I wrote specifically for this story. The problem is, if you try to use google translate to translate it back to English, it doesn't make any sense. I have the original poem written in English somewhere in my notes, so I will find it and add it to the notes ASAP.

The drive from Sioux Falls to Lincoln Park was eight hours, Aurora made it in three and a half. It was still dark as they parked on a side street, hidden in the shadows. Aurora got out of the car and unlocked the trunk, grabbed the bag she’d packed and slung it over her shoulder. It was heavy, but she didn’t care, she’d purposely packed weapons for every single monster she might come across inside that apartment. This was Jamie, she was taking no chances. 

Sam and Dean strolled up, letting out a low whistle at the swanky neighborhood. “I can see why Mathias hated your car so much. It kinda stands out here.” Dean said casually, and Aurora gave him a cold stare. 

Sam cleared his throat. “So, uh, what’s the plan?” 

“The plan is I will find my son. If anyone gets in the way of that, they get shot, stabbed, beheaded, I really don’t give a damn right now, but Mathias—that son of a bitch is mine. Stay close and watch your backs.” Sam nodded as Aurora pulled open the garage access door, keeping low between the vehicles. 

Two demons were patrolling the area in front of the service elevator, and Sam pressed a short blade into Aurora’s hand. She glanced at it, then at him. “Demon killing blade,” he mouthed. She nodded, then moved away from where they were hiding to emerge on the other side of the garage. 

“Hello assholes,” Aurora said, smiling sweetly and tightening her grip on the handle of the blade. 

“Miss Aurora,” one said, scowling at her, “your father is expecting you. Let’s go.” In a single motion, Aurora brought the blade from behind her back, before one could get out the word ‘hunters’, they were both dead. 

“Give Mathias my regards when he meets you in Hell,” she spat, ignoring the elevator and heading for the stairs. The outline of the bloodstain Mathias had left her lying in the night he brought her home was still clearly visible, almost nine years later.

“Is that a bloodstain?” Sam asked, pointing to the darkened circle, as Aurora nodded. “It’s not Jamie’s is it?”

“It’s mine.” Ignoring Sam and Dean’s worried glances at each other, she kept moving up the stairs, demon knife in one hand and a handgun in the other. She didn’t want to use the gun, it would draw unwanted attention from the neighbors, but it didn’t matter now. Mathias knew she was coming for him. He’d known it the minute he sent someone to take Jamie, what he didn’t know was that she’d changed since she’d been away. She used a telekinesis spell to unlock the service entrance to the apartment, earning an uneasy glance from Dean. Well, he hadn’t seen anything yet.

Once inside, they split up to cover more ground and try to find Jamie. They moved through the rooms silently, checking everywhere. Sam opened a closet, expecting it to be empty, and heard a muffled cry. He pulled the string for the closet light and found Jamie pressed into the back wall of the closet, eyes squeezed tight shut. The boy was bound and gagged, his face covered in bruises like he’d been subject to some kind of interrogation. Sam felt the temperature of his blood shoot up to boiling. What kind of sick animal could do this to a child? 

Gritting his teeth, he untied Jamie, who cracked open one eye to see if his mom had come like she promised she would. “Hey, kiddo, my name is Sam and we’re going to get out of here, okay? Can you walk?” 

Jamie swallowed and nodded. “Where’s my mom?”

“She’s here, she sent me to find you while she gets rid of the bad guys. I’m your uncle, Jamie. Your dad is here too, and you’ll see them both soon, but first we gotta get out of here. Will you come with me?” 

Jamie nodded and Sam helped him to his feet. They were almost out of the closet when the cold steel of a blade pressed to Sam’s throat. “Not so fast. Where do you think you’re going?” 

Jamie’s eyes went wide with terror when he saw the black eyed demon holding Sam. “Jamie,” Sam said. “Jamie, look at me. I need you to run. Find your mom, she’s coming for you.” Jamie froze, then shook his head. He stepped backward, took a deep breath and screamed. 

Aurora’s head snapped toward the sound of Jamie’s scream as she ripped the knife from the demon’s eye socket. “Dean! This way!” They ran down the hall toward the sound, cutting down Mathias’ minions as they went, skidding to a stop in the doorway of the guest room where they were keeping Jamie. When he saw her, he ran and hid behind her. She reached down and mussed his hair, like she always did. 

“Jamie,” she said, keeping her voice even, “I need you to do what I tell you right now. Close your ears and your eyes. Understand?” She felt the head bob under her hand and he closed his eyes tight and clamped his hands over his ears. 

Aurora sent the blade the demon was holding against Sam’s neck flying and flung the demon himself against the wall, pinning him with the demon blade pressed to his neck. “Where is Mathias?” she growled through clenched teeth. The demon squirmed, and she moved the blade from his neck, placing the point a half-centimeter from his eyeball. “Keep squirming, dickbag. I won’t kill you, you’ll do it all by yourself. Now, where.is.Mathias?”

“I-In the attic room. He and the other families are sealed in there. Have been since the boy got here. T-That’s all I know, I swear.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why would he leave the kid out here like this? He had to know you’d come for him,” Dean said. 

“He knew I’d do exactly that,” Aurora said, “the son of a bitch used my son as bait. Fine, the bastard wants a war, he’s got it, and everything that goes with it.” She took a deep breath, and her irises glowed white for a moment, then returned to their normal color. 

“What the hell was that? What are you?” Sam said, breathless. 

“My parents are both witches from ancient and powerful bloodlines. My mother bound my magic when I was a child because she was terrified Mathias would corrupt it and she didn’t want that. I didn’t know any of this until I read some of my mother’s old journals when I was pregnant.”

The demon Aurora had pinned with her telekinesis spell started squirming again, and not taking her eyes off Sam, she snapped her fingers and he dropped to the ground, running out the door without looking back. “Jamie, sweetheart, you can come out now.” Aurora fluffed his curls, and he took his hands away from his ears.

“Is it over?” he asked, looking up at his mother with adoration as she nodded to him. “You came for me!” Aurora bent and he jumped into her waiting arms. 

“Of course I did, baby. I promised I would, didn’t I? And I brought some friends with me. You’ve met Sam already.” Jamie nodded, and Aurora moved out of the way, gesturing to Dean. “This is Dean.”

Jamie and Dean eyed each other warily, each unsure of what to do next. Finally, Jamie grinned at him. “My name is Dean too,” he said. “Jameson Dean Corwin, but mom calls me Jamie. I think it’ll be alright if you guys call me Jamie too. Right, mom?” He turned his face up to his mother, who looked down at him with such devotion, Dean couldn’t believe he’d threatened to kill this woman mere hours ago. 

“That’s up to you, sweetheart. You’re the only one that can give them permission to call you that.” Aurora stroked his hair, and he beamed at her, turning toward them and nodding. She kissed the side of his head, then spoke to Sam and Dean. 

“I need you guys to take Jamie and go. This is between me and Mathias. I’m going to end this, right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere Aurora, and you’re not going in there alone.” Dean’s voice was firm and she cocked an eyebrow at him. 

“Dean, a few hours ago, you were threatening to kill me if I went wicked witch and now you don’t think I can take care of myself? Which is it?” 

Jamie knitted his eyebrows and glared at Dean. “You can’t kill my mom! I won’t let you! I don’t care if you’re my father, you’re not going to hurt my mom!” He placed himself between Aurora and Dean, doing the best he could to look bigger. 

Dean knelt down in front of Jamie, who took an instinctive step backward toward his mother. He knew if the big man wanted to hurt him or his mom, there wasn’t much he could do about it, but he’d still try his best to protect her, like she’d always done for him. 

“I don’t want to kill or hurt your mom, Jamie. It’s complicated and sometimes adults get angry and say things they shouldn’t, things they can’t take back.” He glanced up at Aurora and back at Jamie, then continued. “The best they can do is say they’re sorry and hope the other person will forgive them eventually.”

Jamie shook his head, confused. “If you don’t want to hurt her, why would you say you did? Is this why mom said you’re a complicated man?” Dean smiled broadly at his son, and for a split second everything was right in the world. 

“Probably.” Jamie’s lips curved into a small smile as Dean stood up, and he turned toward Aurora. 

“I want to stay with you, mom. Please? I can protect you too.” His lower lip puckered into a slight pout, hoping to sway his mother. 

“Oh my sweet boy, I know you can. But right now, it’s me who has to protect you. Your time will come, I promise, but it isn’t today. Today, I need you to go with Sam and do as he says. I’ll be right behind you, I swear.” She held up two fingers in a scouts honor. 

“Is he going to hurt you?” Jamie glanced at Dean and chewed on his lip, worried about his mother. 

Sam stepped forward, holding a hand out to Jamie. “No, your mom and dad are going to hurt the bad guys who took you—together. And we are going to make sure their way out is cleared, okay?” Jamie looked nervously at his mother, who nodded in approval, and he put a slightly trembling hand into his uncle’s larger one. 

“Take care of my boy, Sam.” She gave Sam a pointed look. “He’s all I’ve got. I can’t lose him too.” Sam nodded, casting a worried glance at Dean, then led Jamie out of the room. 

Once they were gone, Aurora blew out a heavy breath, straightening her shoulders. “Let the bastard killing commence,” she muttered, glancing at Dean. “I still haven’t decided about you yet.” She walked out of the room and he cocked an eyebrow at the back of her head, but followed. As they walked, keeping on alert for trouble, Aurora glanced at Dean from the corner of her eye. 

“So,” she said as they took out four more demons, “if you thought I should be killed before, I guess you’re really thinking it now, right?”

“No, I meant what I said to Jamie. I don’t want to hurt or kill you and I’m sorry for acting like a dick. It’s just that—” his voice trailed off and he cursed himself for not being able to tell her. 

“It’s just that you wear the Mark of Cain, and it’s consuming your soul piece by piece?” 

He stopped short, turning toward her. “How did you know?”

“Dean, it’s the oldest curse, existing long before gods and goddesses, and heaven and hell. It radiates energy and power, and I felt it even before I saw you at my house.” Realization struck her and she smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “ _That’s_ why Mathias left Jamie alive. He had this whole thing planned, and I walked right into it and brought you guys with me. Dean, you have to leave, now. I know what he’s planning to do.”

“Yeah...not gonna happen.”

“Damn it, Dean. The Mark gives the wearer special powers right? Strength, speed, that sort of thing?” Dean nodded, unsure of what she was getting at. “Mathias isn’t the only one in that attic room. It’s a ceremony room. There are five families that make up the Chicago Coven, and all of them are in that room upstairs. The families are constantly bickering and trying to undermine each other’s power, but there was peace between the families for a few decades when my mother was alive.”

“I’ve been betrothed to the oldest son of the one of the families since I was four years old, and Mathias most likely kidnapped Jamie to make me come here to complete the marriage ceremony that was supposed to happen 8 years ago. I’m sure things were—tense, when I was a no show for the original wedding. He just gets an added bonus if you’re here. If he takes that mark, no one will be able to stop him. Not even me.”

“What makes you think you can stop him?” Dean asked, putting a hand on her arm.

“My mother told me,” Aurora muttered, “sort of.” He gave her a confused look, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “She wrote me a letter in one of her journals before she died, telling me all about him. He made a deal with a demon, then linked it by force to him. Nothing can stop him now but the true embodiment of light. I know what I have to do, I just don’t know what it’s going to cost me. If anything happens to me, just—just keep Jamie safe, okay? You and Sam are the only family he’s got if I’m gone.”

Dean nodded, struggling to form words. “What do you mean what it will cost you?”

“All magic has a price, Dean,” she said, turning away from him, “even light magic. And if Mathias gets that Mark—”

He can’t. It can only be transferred to someone worthy of it,” Dean replied. 

“You mean like killers, monsters, that sort of thing?” she said, gesturing wildly around them. “Seriously, you have to go. Go—find Sam, take Jamie, and get as far away from here as you can. I’m trusting you to keep our child safe.” 

Dean hesitated, then nodded. “Fine, just—just be careful, okay?” He reached out a hand for her, then dropped it back to his side, and gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Aurora. For everything.”

“I know, Dean. Now, go!” She turned away, leaving him alone in the hallway as she disappeared around a corner of the hallway. He sighed, heading back in the direction Sam and Jamie went, only to round a corner and find Sam and Jamie bound and gagged. He shifted his grip on the knife he held, bristling for a fight when he felt the cold steel of a blade at the base of his neck. 

He started to put up a fight, but another demon pressed a blade to Jamie’s throat, drawing blood, and Dean held up his hands in surrender. The Mark tingled, and he was fairly certain he could take all of the demons in the area, but the mess it would leave behind surely would not give Jamie the impression that the father he’d wanted to meet so badly was a good man. No, best wait and bide his time.

“Move,” growled the Demon behind him as the tip of the blade burrowed into Dean’s neck. Two others held Sam and Jamie the same way, and they were marching toward a narrow set of stairs that lead to the attic. Once inside, they were strapped to three ancient looking thrones set atop a stone platform. _Aurora wasn’t joking, this is a ceremony. But what kind?_

Aurora dropped the bag of weapons, strapping on both thigh holsters and checking the pistols, then she slung the custom made leather sheath for her machetes across her back, shoving them into place. Once she finished gearing up, she practically ran the rest of the way to the attic stairs, the apartment now strangely devoid of Mathias’ minions, although Aurora didn’t notice, as focused as she was on what she had to do. 

She took the stairs two at a time, flinging open the double attic doors wide, and striding through them, as though part huntress and part avenging angel, her eyes glowing white and her black curls tumbling in all directions. Her eyes darted around the room, settling on the thrones where Sam and Dean sat bound, Jamie between them. 

Black rage flowed through her at the sight of the people she cared most about in the world bound up and helpless, lighting up every nerve ending in her body. She growled, almost losing her grip on her temper, before shoving the feeling away and locking it inside it’s own iron box in her mind. She had a job to do, and rage would only guarantee she got herself or one of them killed. _Focus, Aurora!_ The white glow in her eyes faded, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.

There was movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Mathias walking toward her from the opposite corner of the room, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Finally, after all these years, my wayward daughter has returned to lead us all into a brand new world.”

“Cut the shit, Mathias.” Aurora scowled at him, then yelled at the rest of the people watching intently around the room. “Listen up, the rest of you. This is between me and Mathias, and there’s about to be a supernatural smackdown in here, so if you want to live you better peace out. Otherwise, get ready to fight. Any takers? No? Alright then, it’s your funeral.” She rolled her shoulders, unsheathing her pistols and pointing them directly at Mathias’ heart.

Aurora looked at Jamie, who sat bound, gagged, and wide-eyed at the chaos going on around him. _No wonder mom never tells me anything, this is bananas!_

“Hey, buddy, you remember that poem I taught you when you were little?” Jamie swallowed hard, nodding his head. “Good, I need you to say the words like a prayer, and want you to keep repeating them even if I stop, okay?” Another nod. “Alright, here we go. Ad numen causa prima luce exaudi me, protegas me a circumdantibus me in tenebris, sicut umbra et lux timet, malum non erit vincere pugna est.” 

Jamie closed his eyes following the lilt of his mother’s voice, and repeating the words in his head. After several repetitions, he opened his eyes and saw the three of them glowing a pale white, as though they were ethereal. He wanted to scream, but couldn’t because of the gag in his mouth, and his pulse pounded in his ears as he watched demons and witches surround his mother.

A shot echoed off the walls of the large room, and a witch who darted toward Jamie fell forward as his brains splattered across the floor. Mathias made a face, although Aurora wasn’t sure if it was because James was his favorite bodyguard, or because she’d splattered blood and brains all over the oak wood floors. 

“I can do this all day, Mathias. I’m not the scared little broken girl you remember. Not anymore. Not ever again.” Aurora shouted, shooting another minion who tried to sneak up behind Dean. Sam glanced at Dean, who shrugged, tugging at the knots that bound his wrists.

Mathias pursed his lips, scowling at her. This was not going at all how he planned. Fine, he’d just have to break her the old fashioned way. “Do you think that _you_ can keep them safe? You’re weak, and scared, Aurora, and your mother crippled you when she bound your magic all those years ago. You refuse to accept who you are and take your rightful place among us, and because of that, you will fail.” 

“Maybe. But I’d rather go down fighting than turn into a monster like you. If we’re gonna do this, let’s do it. You got what you wanted, I’m here. So shut the hell up and get on with it, but you leave them out of it.” 

“Oh, but my dear child, they’re right in the middle of it. They came here with you under your misguided notion that you can save your son.” He motioned to his demon minions, who surrounded Jamie, Dean, and Sam. "I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my plan. Two birds, one stone, so to speak. And it will be all thanks to you, because you, my dear, are going to be the one to rid the world of the Winchesters, and their blood will be on your hands. I will take the Mark, and we are free to live our lives out in the open as the universe intended, and once you marry Elijah, you will be our Coven High Priestess. God himself won’t have the power to stop us,” Mathias said, his grin growing wider as he walked casually toward her. 

He turned away for a moment to address the others. “One of you—I really don’t care who, possess the boy, then kill him. His mother thinks she can defy me, and she must be punished.” He laughed, then stopped when he realized Aurora hadn’t reacted as he’d assumed she would. 

“I don’t think so, you son of a bitch,” she growled, aiming her pistols at him and cocking them ominously. She took a deep breath, her eyes glowing again, and Mathias narrowed his gaze at her. “ You see, I choose them, and I’ll always choose them. And do you know why, Mathias? Because they’ve taught me more about what it means to be family than you ever did.” 

“Then you’ll die with them. Makes no difference to me. Either way, the Mark will be mine, and you have brought it to me. What happens next is on your head, not mine.” Mathias shrugged, waving his hand. 

Dean wriggled free of his restraints, yanking off the gag as he stood up and snapped the demon’s neck who stood in front of him, then drove the demon blade they’d stolen from him through the demon’s heart. He quickly cut Sam and Jamie’s binds, and with Jamie between them they fought their way through the demons toward the door. Dean had no idea what was about to happen, but he really didn’t want the three of them to be the only humans in the room when Aurora unleashed her fury.

Aurora drew in another deep breath, drawing the energy of all the light from the universe, until white flames swirled about her body, heat and light harnessed and unable to harm her. “Goodbye, Mathias. Enjoy your VIP room in Hell.” 

“No! That’s not possible! This was not part of the plan!” Mathias bellowed, his eyes darting around wildly.

“Fuck your plan,” Aurora growled, and with a flick of her wrist, Mathias was surrounded by white flames. His screams echoed across the room as his body burned away, killing both demon and host. Standing in the center of the room now, she raised her arms toward the sky, palms up, as white flames shot from her hands toward the ceiling. She exhaled, white hot flames covering every surface, the screams of dying witches and demons echoing in her ears as they were incinerated to nothing more than heaping piles of ash . 

White-hot light shot out of the cracks in the doors as they dove through, kicking them shut as they slid across the floor, and Dean and Sam both shielded Jamie’s body with their own, covering his ears to block out the screams. The glow of the protection spell on them was fading now, and when the light from inside the room faded, the doors swung open, their hinges creaking like something from a haunted house. Aurora lay in a motionless heap in the middle of the room, the charred remnants of the remaining demons and witches littering the floor in all directions. 

“Mom?” Jamie jerked free of Sam and Dean’s grasp, stumbling across the floor toward Aurora. “Mom, no, please, wake up!” He rolled her over, cradling her head in his narrow lap, tears sliding down his cheeks as he gently shook her. 

Sam knelt down next to Jamie, checking Aurora for signs of life. She was still breathing, but her pulse was thready. “Jamie, we have to go. Come on.” He held his hand out to Jamie, who shook his head.

“No, I won’t leave her. She wouldn’t leave me,” he cried, pulling away from Sam.

“We’re not leaving her,” Dean said gently, bending to lift Aurora’s limp body into his arms, “but we have to go now.” Jamie nodded, wiping his face with his sleeve and following the two of them out of the apartment. The sun was up now, and the neighborhood was starting to stir, making it almost impossible to not draw suspicion, but by some miracle, they made it back to the cars without incident. 

Jamie scrambled into the backseat of the Impala, and Dean laid Aurora across the seat, her head resting in Jamie’s lap as he patted her down, looking for the keys to the Chevelle. He tossed them to Sam, then slid into the driver seat of the car. 

“Is she going to be okay?” Jamie asked in a small voice, stroking his mother’s dark locks. A streak of white now ran down the length of on side, and as Dean watched the two of them in the mirror, knowing he’d missed out on so much, it didn’t matter the reason, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with rage at the injustice of it.

He sighed, shaking his head as he started the car. “I don’t know, kiddo. We’ll just have to wait and see.” He started the car, stifling a yawn. There was no way they would make it back to Sioux Falls today without rest. Yawning again, he headed for Danny’s Inn. It was cheap, clean, and outside Lincoln Park, which is all he wanted at the moment. 


	9. June 2016 Part 3

Sam frowned as he watched Jamie stroking his mother’s hair and murmuring something under his breath. It had been three days since Aurora fell unconscious, and Jamie refused to eat, barely drank, and wouldn’t speak to either of them. 

“Hey, Jamie,” Dean said, and Jamie looked up at him with sad eyes. “You’ve gotta at least drink something. If your mom wakes up and finds you’ve been malnourished she’ll have mine and Sam’s heads on a platter. Come on, drink up.” He held out a bottle of water, and Jamie looked away, saying nothing, then licked his dry lips and reluctantly took the bottle, eyeing Dean warily as he took a tiny sip. 

Sam checked Aurora’s pulse again and it seemed to be getting stronger, and he hoped that meant she’d wake up soon. He gave Jamie an encouraging smile, but didn’t get one in return, and Sam wasn’t sure what to say or do to make Jamie feel better. Dean always seemed to be better at that sort of thing, but right now, even he was out of his element. 

“Hey, Jamie,” Sam said, picking up the keys to the Chevelle as an idea struck him. “Do you think your mom would be alright with me borrowing her car? I’m going to go to the store and get us some things for dinner.”

Jamie shrugged one shoulder, not taking his eyes off his mom. “Scratch it and you’ll be in trouble, that’s for sure,” he croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. Dean snorted, and Sam smiled, shaking his head. The boy was definitely Dean’s offspring. 

“I promise I’ll be careful with it. You could come along if you want to. Some fresh air might do you some good,” Sam said, but Jamie shook his head.

“I can’t leave her,” he whispered. “What if she wakes up and I’m not here? She’ll be worried.”

“It’ll be okay, Jamie, I’ll stay here with her and tell her where you are if she wakes up,” Dean said as Jamie eyed him dubiously. “And if she wakes up while you guys are gone, I’ll call Sam and he’ll bring you straight back here.”

“Promise?”

“I swear it on my life,” Dean replied. Jamie still looked wary, but nodded and slid off the bed, then bent and kissed Aurora’s forehead. He stood, taking Sam’s outstretched hand, and together they left the motel in search of something other than vending machine cupcakes for dinner. 

“Sam?” Jamie said, his voice unsure as Sam glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah?”

“If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth? Mom told me some things, and I know she won’t lie to me, but she keeps a lot of secrets.” 

Sam frowned, unsure where this conversation was going, and worried he might say something Aurora didn’t intend for Jamie to find out, but after what the kid had just witnessed he thought now probably wasn’t the best time to deny the kid answers. “Sure, kid. What do you want to know?”

“Well actually, I have two questions,” Jamie said, staring out the window. 

“Shoot.”

“Why did da—Dean call my mom Aurora? And who exactly is Mathias?” 

“Well,” Sam said, not missing Jamie’s slip of the tongue, “Mathias is—was, your grandfather, and he was a very evil man that used to abuse your mom. Dean and I knew your mom before she changed her name. When we met her it was Aurora.”

“Oh,” he said, his brows knitting in concentration. More questions sprang to mind, and he opened his mouth as though to ask, then closed it again, deciding against it. Sam parked the car and shut off the engine, then turned to face Jamie, his arm resting over the back of the seat.

“What else do you want to know?” he asked, and Jamie’s face turned pink with embarrassment. 

“Nothing, I guess,” he replied, looking away. He’d gotten used to only learning the broad strokes of any story from his mother, and he assumed Sam would do the same if he asked any more questions.

“You have more questions, I can tell. I probably can’t answer all of them, but I’ll do the best I can,” Sam said, giving Jamie a slight smile.

“Is Mathias the only one my mother was hiding from? Or was she hiding from you and Dean too? Every time I asked her about anything related to my family or where we came from, she’d get this really sad, faraway look in her eyes and then dodge the question. I guess she thought I couldn’t see she was hiding something,” he said, picking at his cuticles. 

“And why didn’t she tell Dean about me? I don’t understand any of this, all I know is secrets are stupid.” Jamie sighed in frustration, then leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms, his lower lip puckering into a pout. In that instant, the boy was a perfect mixture of both Dean and Aurora, and Sam couldn’t help but smile at him. 

“I agree,” Sam said, staring out the front window. “Secrets are stupid, but sometimes they’re necessary. Jamie, in order for your mother to protect you both from Mathias, Aurora had to die and be reborn as someone else, someone Mathias wouldn’t know to look for. Everyone, including you, had to believe that your mom wasn’t Aurora anymore. It was easier to convince you, because you’d never known her as anyone different. As for why she didn’t tell Dean… that’s a question you’ll have to ask her when she wakes up.”

“If she wakes up,” Jamie muttered sadly, not looking at Sam.

“ _When_ she wakes up,” Sam corrected, and Jamie raised his gaze to him, then nodded.

“Will we see you again after we get home? I know you guys can’t stay forever, but I hope things won’t go back to the way they were before. Although, I don’t think Dean is very happy that I exist, or that mom is a super witch.”

Sam shook his head, sighing. “I don't know, that depends on what they decide. But, no matter what they will do what's best for you. Jamie, Dean is—”

“Complicated, I know. That’s the word mom uses to describe him anyway.” Jamie rolled his eyes, staring out the window. 

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. If Dean could be described in one word, complicated would definitely be the one he’d choose, too. “Yes, well, she’s right. But even more than that, your parents’ relationship is also complicated. They love each other, probably more than either of us could possibly imagine, but terrible circumstances have kept them apart all this time. But, no matter what is or isn’t between them, they love you. It’s just that your mom has had eight years to adjust to the idea of being your parent, Dean’s had a little over three days. And he’s missed so much of your life already, he’s overwhelmed too.” Jamie nodded, unsure of what else to say. Sam was right, but Jamie couldn’t shake the knots of anxiety bumbling around in his stomach.

“Come on,” Sam said, opening the car door, “let's find some real food for dinner, what do you say?”

~~~~~

Dean sat next to the bed, pressing his forehead to Aurora’s hand he held wrapped in his own. He had so much to say, so much to be angry about, and yet, none of it seemed to matter at all right now. All that mattered to him was that she woke up, and soon. He kissed her hand, laying it back on the bed, then got up and paced the room nervously, trying to decide what to do next. 

Several ideas sprang to mind, and he discarded each of them as quickly as they came. There was the bunker, but Aurora didn’t know about it, and would probably lose her mind if she woke up in the middle of Kansas after a beatdown that took place in Chicago. He could take them home, to Sioux Falls, but then what? Would he leave her—correction, _them_ alone to carry on with their lives as though none of this had happened? Could he?

He still bore the Mark, and in that condition he was no good to anyone, but he especially wasn’t any good to Aurora, given who she turned out to be. He rubbed the outline of the Mark on his arm, and wondered for the thousandth time if she’d known who she was all along, and chose to keep it a secret. He shook his head, dismissing the thought for the thousandth and one time. Aurora had never lied to him about anything, except Jamie, and technically not telling him wasn’t lying. There’s no way she lied to him about something as huge as being a witch. 

Aurora’s body jerked, and he stopped pacing and flew to the side of the bed. She coughed, inhaling sharply as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked hard, staring at him as she tried to focus. “Dean?”

“I’m here,” he said, taking her hand. She looked around the room as panic flooded her face. 

“Jamie? Where’s Jamie? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay,” she cried, her breath coming in short gasps as she tried not to give in to her panic.

“He’s fine, Aurora. Well, as fine as a kid can be after experiencing something like that. Sam took him to get some food. It’s the first time in three days he’s left your side.” 

“Three days? What the hell happened?” she asked, eyes wide. “Mathias—”

“Is dead,’ Dean finished for her. “I don’t know what happened after we got out of the room, but there was this bright light, then the entire place heated up like it was on fire, and when it was gone you were lying unconscious with a bunch of ashes scattered all around the room.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, no longer feeling like a two-ton elephant perched precariously on her shoulders. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming when Jody called, and for not leaving me there in that house and just taking Jamie.”

“Why the hell would I do that, Aurora?” He glared at her, and she pushed herself into a seated position to avoid his gaze.

“Because of what I am and who you are. I swear I didn’t know before, or else—” 

‘Or else what? You would have told me?” Dean snorted, shaking his head. “I highly doubt that. Not because I think you would lie to me, but because I reacted _so well_ when you did tell me.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Okay, you’re right. I probably wouldn’t have said anything, but things would have turned out differently between us. So what happens now?” 

Dean shook his head, standing up and pacing the floor again. “I have no idea.”

“Well, right now, I need to go home,” Aurora said, grimacing. “I’ve been away too long as it is, and the longer I’m away the higher chance I lose my customers and employees.”

“Wow, really? You wake up from a coma and your main concern is your bar?” Dean snapped.

Aurora glared at him, jaw clenching. “No, my main concern is Jamie. The bar is second, because it’s my livelihood, Dean. It’s what keeps us fed, clothed and a roof over our heads, so yeah, I’m a little concerned about it. I realize that’s a foreign concept to you, since you’ve never really had to worry about such trivial things, but people with normal lives do.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and he rolled his eyes.

“Your life is anything but normal, Aurora,” Dean snapped, “but don’t worry about it. I called Jody and she’s taking care of it. She told everyone you were called away on a family emergency. She hopes you don’t mind, but you left the keys to the place on your kitchen table, so she’s been opening and closing for you. Some guy named Leo is doing the rest.” He sat down at the table, jaw muscles twitching with annoyance. 

“I guess that will have to do,” she said. “Look, Dean, everything is different now. It was one thing when you didn’t know about Jamie, and it doesn’t matter anymore how you feel about me. I mean, it does, because nothing has changed for me. I feel the same as I did when I left Bobby’s house all those years ago. But it isn’t about me, or us, it’s about Jamie. I wouldn’t blame you if you want to walk away, all I ask is that you make it a clean break. Don’t pop in and out of his life on a whim.”

Dean looked at her as though she’d just sprouted horns and a forked tail. “Are you serious right now? Do you really think I can just walk away from something like this? What kind of person do you think I am?” Aurora sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the wall. 

“The kind of person that hunts monsters and protects those who can’t or won’t do it themselves,” she said quietly. “It’s not really a job that’s conducive to a boring domestic life, and I’m not going to ask you to give it up. The world needs you, and Sam, and all the others like you. I don’t even want to think about what life would be like if you guys didn’t exist. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to stop hunting and settle down in Sioux Falls with your witch baby mama. Even if I asked you to, the Mark won’t let you.”

Dean swallowed, looking away from her. She put into words all the things he didn’t want to say. So where did that leave them? “You could always come live with us,” he said quietly, bracing himself for her response. 

Aurora studied him, her head cocked to one side. It was her turn to look at him like he’d grown another head. “Live with you where?”

“It’s a long story, but there’s a bunker in Kansas where we stay when we’re not hunting. It’s got everything you can imagine, and it’s warded against everything supernatural, so you and Jamie would be safe there.”

Aurora shook her head. “I can’t uproot our whole life and move to Kansas, Dean. There’s the bar, Jamie has school, it just wouldn’t work. Besides, what would I do while you guys were hunting? Mope around said bunker like a worried housewife? No.” 

“I can’t just walk away and pretend like none of this happened, Aurora! It was one thing when I wasn’t sure he existed, but now I know he does. What kind of man would I be if I just took you two back to Sioux Falls and said, good luck kid, nice meeting you?” Aurora said nothing, because she didn’t have any answers to give him. He sighed, running his hands down his face and reaching for his cell phone to call Sam. 

Before he could press send, the door opened and Jamie entered, carrying two grocery bags with Sam right behind him. When Jamie saw Aurora his eyes went wide and he dropped the grocery bags, scrambling up on the bed and wrapping his arms around her neck. 

“Mom! You’re awake!” He cried, gripping her tight as tears filled his eyes. “Are you okay? Please don’t do that again!” 

Aurora smiled, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “I’m okay, sweetheart, everything’s okay now.” She patted his back, then unwrapped his arms from around her neck to look at him. 

The bruises on his cheeks were healing, but they were still a deep blue and his bottom lip was split in the middle. Aurora kissed each part of his battered face as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, my sweet boy. Mathias will never hurt us again, I promise.”

“I know, mom, it’s okay. Sam told me about him,” he said, wiping her tears away, then snuggling up next to her and glared at Dean. Aurora glanced at Sam, who shrugged, picking up the grocery bags and emptying them onto the table. 

“You promised you’d call Sam when Mom woke up,” Jamie said accusingly to Dean. “You lied to me!”

Dean sat frozen, unsure of what to say, but Aurora spoke up to cover for him. “Sweetheart, he was just about to call Sam when you guys walked in. He was going to call sooner, but we were talking and I asked him to wait until we were done.”

Jamie nodded, seeming to accept this answer, but still kept a wary eye on Dean as she pulled him close. “Can we go home now, Mom?” 

“Soon, baby, real soon,” she replied, squeezing his shoulders and planting a kiss on the top of his mop of curls. 

~~~~~

Two days later, Aurora breathed a sigh of relief and she parked the Chevelle safely in her driveway. Jamie stared out the window, frowning, as Aurora turned off the engine. 

“What’s wrong, honey?” She asked, the leather seat creaking as she turned toward him. He shook his head, unsure what to say.

“Do you think he’ll actually show up?” Jamie asked, chewing on his lip. “I know he said he’d come after they got done with whatever it was they needed to to do, but do you think he meant it?”

“Jamie,” Aurora said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Look, I know none of this will be easy, for any of us, but we’ll figure it out. And if Dean told you he’d be here, he’ll be here. I’m pretty sure nothing in the world will keep him away for long.”

“I know, but…” his voice trailed off, and Aurora tilted her head to one side, regarding him.

“But what?”

“What if he just said that so we’d go? He knows what you are now, and I guess what I am too. What if—” Aurora held up a hand to stop him, and he looked away, blinking back tears.

“I know you’re worried, sweetheart, and I understand why, but everything will be okay, I promise. Now, let’s go inside, okay?” Aurora stepped out of the car, holding out her hand for him, just as she’d done so many times before, and Jamie felt safe for the first time in days. He nodded, climbing out of the backseat and taking her hand. 

They were standing on the porch when Jody’s truck rolled to a stop at the curb, and Aurora unlocked the front door, letting Jamie go inside as she waited for Jody to approach.

“Hey—” Jody hesitated, unsure of how to address her. Aurora smiled broadly, realizing she was genuinely happy to see her. “I’m glad you’re back. Is everyone alright?”

“Hey Jody,” she said, breathing in the feeling of being home. The only thing that would make it better is if Dean was there. She pushed the thought away, shaking her head. “It’s good to be back, and yes, everyone is okay.”

Jody nodded, relief washing over her face. “That’s great. How’s Jamie?”

“Battered and confused, but I think he’ll be alright eventually. This whole ordeal did a number on him,” Aurora said, sighing and taking a seat on one of the wicker chairs next to the door. Jody stood at the top of the steps, her eyes widening in surprise when Aurora motioned for her to sit.

“Please, have a seat,” Aurora said, smiling at Jody’s confusion. “It’s alright, I won’t bite, and you know everything now, so—” she shrugged, gesturing to the seat across from her.

Jody sat, an awkward silence falling between them for a few moments before either of them spoke. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been opening and closing the bar for Leo. He’s doing a really good job of keeping it running, but everyone misses you there.”

“I don’t mind, Jody, I appreciate it. You and Leo really stepped up, and I _am_ grateful,” she paused, picking at her cuticles, then wiggled her fingers. “But I’m also confused, why would you do that?” Aurora leaned back in the chair, studying Jody.

“Because, LJ—Aurora,” Jody snorted, shaking her head, “I don’t even know what to call you now.”

Aurora laughed. “Yeah… I guess that’s going to be a bit confusing—for everyone.” She glanced over her shoulder through the open doorway to see Jamie sprawled across the overstuffed couch, watching cartoons. She turned back to Jody, shaking her head. “Technically, Aurora is dead, and everyone in Sioux Falls knows me as Lyra or LJ, so I guess that’s what you should call me.”

Jody nodded, then continued with her original thought. “Because like it or not, you’ve built a life here, and people care about you, and Jamie. You’re not alone anymore, LJ, and regardless of anything else, I consider Sam and Dean family, and that means you and Jamie are family by extension.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Aurora’s eyes as she gazed at Jody. “But, Jamie and I aren’t even technically human, doesn’t that go against some hunter code or something?”

Jody laughed, shaking her head. “Possibly, but not everything is as black and white as some people like to think. And besides, between you turning The Lodge into a safe haven for hunters and Jamie being a Winchester, I think those particular hunter rules don’t necessarily apply to you.”

“How did you know about The Lodge?” Aurora asked, frowning.

“It’s a funny story, actually. I was there waiting for Leo to finish up for the night so I could lock up, and I heard him mumbling about the ridiculous amounts of rock salt you buy, hoarding it like a damn dragon just to bury it under the floorboards. I got curious and started noticing other details, like the devil’s traps and other things you’ve integrated into the decor. It’s pretty ingenious, really.” 

Aurora giggled at Jody’s spot-on impression of Leo. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “human or not, anyone who cares that much about others who risk their lives to keep the world safe from monsters is good in my book, and I think you’ll find there are plenty of other hunters who feel the same way. I don’t know how word got out so fast about what happened, but it did, and the place has been packed since you’ve been gone. As a matter of fact, several of them got together and cleaned up the mess in Jamie’s room, and fixed the broken window. I hope you don’t mind.”

Aurora looked slightly uneasy, but shrugged it off. “Not at all, thank you.” 

Jody watched her for a moment as her eyes shifted to a faraway, haunted gaze. “What’s on your mind?”

Aurora shook her head, looking down at her hands. “I just miss Dean, and it hurts. I mean, I’ve always missed him, but things are so different now. I know our lives will never be the picture of domestic bliss. He has a job to do, and I won’t keep him from it, but I’m so afraid that he won’t forgive me for not telling him and he’ll take it out on Jamie. Frankly, the whole situation just fuckin’ blows.” She grimaced. “Sorry.”

Jody smiled, then nodded in agreement. “Yes, it does. But what family is perfect? I believe that no matter what, Dean will do the right thing in the end, whatever that might be. He loves you, I could see it in his reaction when he heard your voice, and I know he loves Jamie, too. Because who wouldn’t? He’s adorable.”

“I hope so,” Aurora murmured, gazing toward the top of the hill at the end of the street, as though willing the Impala to appear. Jody patted Aurora’s knee, standing up. 

“Everything will work itself out, eventually,” Jody said, glancing inside the house as she turned to leave. “I’ll see you later, alright? Call me if you need anything.” Aurora nodded, but said nothing.

“Bye, Jamie.”

“Bye, Sheriff,” Jamie replied, grinning and waving to Jody through the open door as she walked down the stairs and across the yard to her truck.

Aurora sighed, pushing herself to stand and suddenly exhausted to her core, but she could think of nothing else she wanted to do that day than spend the rest of it with one of the people she loved most in the world. She shuffled inside, flopping down on the other end of the overstuffed couch, resting a leg over the armrest and propping herself up on one elbow, her position a mirror image of Jamie, and the two of them spent the rest of the day laying together on the couch, watching cartoons.

~~~~~

**_Three days later_ **

Aurora sat at the dining table, making notes in a leatherbound journal as she scanned the pages of the various lore books spread across the table. A hunter had approached her at the bar the night before with questions about a case he was working, and Aurora agreed to help with research. It was a beautiful day, and the breeze through the windows ruffled the papers on the table as well as her hair. 

The TV was blaring, the Scooby-Doo theme song filling the room as Jamie lay on the couch, engrossed in the marathon and glancing nervously at the door. The low rumble of a car exhaust drifted on the breeze as the Impala topped the hill and rolled to a stop at the curb. Jamie’s face split into a wide grin as he jumped off the couch and ran outside, the screen door slamming behind him.

Aurora smiled, dropping the pen and went outside onto the porch just in time to see Jamie leap into Dean’s arms, nearly knocking him backwards. Sam leaned against the trunk of the Impala, legs crossed at the ankles, watching his brother and nephew with the same wide smile Jamie wore. 

“You came!” Jamie cried, beaming at Dean. Dean patted his back, setting him down. 

“Of course I did,” he said, glancing up to the porch where Aurora stood, smiling at them. His chest tightened at the sight of her, and he forced himself to smile back. 

“Hey, stranger,” she said, tucking a curl behind her ear. 

“Hey,” he said, suddenly uncomfortable. 

“Come on, come inside.” Jamie took his hand, tugging him toward the house.

“Alright, I’m coming.” Dean let Jamie let him lead him up the stairs, Sam following close behind. 

Aurora stood to the side and let them pass, then sat down on the wicker porch chair. Sam sat down across from her, studying her face. She avoided his eyes, picking at a hangnail, then cleared her throat.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, “I know you guys are busy. Jamie’s been so worried that Dean just said he’d come so we’d leave you guys in Chicago. I’m glad he didn’t disappoint him.” Sam nodded.

“No problem,” he replied, “I don’t think anything would’ve kept Dean away from you guys.” 

Jamie’s voice floated through the open door as he gave Dean a tour of the house, and Aurora smiled as Dean indulged him, asking questions and making small comments here and there. “You know, he acts like this place is a palace,” she muttered, shaking her head as the smile faded.

Sam stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. “That’s because to him, it is. It’s where he feels safest, and it’s his home. Does he know that place in Chicago is where you grew up?”

Aurora shook her head. “No, and I don’t plan to tell him. That house was nothing more than a gilded cage, this is my home.”

“Exactly.” Sam leaned back in the chair, glancing up as Dean appeared in the doorway. 

“Hey Sam, can Aurora and I talk for a minute?” Aurora glanced up and the sight of Dean leaning against the door frame, sent her right back to the day he stood like that in the doorway of Bobby’s library, before the first time they kissed, and she felt her heart break all over again.

Sam nodded, standing up. “It’s my turn for the tour, anyway.” 

Dean sat down in the chair Sam vacated as he disappeared into the house, watching Aurora. He wasn’t sure what to say, but they needed to clear the air between them.

“Look, I—” she started, folding her hands in her lap. He shook his head, holding up his hand to stop her. 

“Before you say anything, let me say something first,” he said, taking a deep breath. Aurora frowned, but nodded for him to continue. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and as angry as I still am about you not telling me about Jamie, I understand your reasons for keeping it a secret. I have no idea how this will work out, but I do know one thing. Seeing the two of you together, both in Chicago and here, there is no one else in the world I would want as his mother.”

Tears sprang to the corners of Aurora’s eyes, and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. “Thanks,” she whispered, blinking away the tears, unsure of what else to say. She had so many questions, none of which she particularly wanted to hear the answers to. Before she could say anything else, he spoke again.

“Jody told me what you did with The Lodge, and apparently word spread crazy fast about you, and us.”

“Yeah,” she murmured, rolling her eyes and looking away from him. “I’ve already had one ask me for research help. I don’t mind at all, at least my photographic memory can be put to good use. I just hope they don’t want me to be the new Bobby. Nobody can replace him.”

“You know?”

“Yeah, Jody told me yesterday,” she replied. “I just wish I’d known sooner, you know?”

Dean nodded, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. “You know, Sam was right.”

“About what?”

“When he told me he found pictures of Jamie on Bobby’s computer, somewhere deep down, I knew. I did what I always do and pushed it aside to deal with later, but what I should have done was come here and find out for sure. That isn’t your fault, and I can’t blame you for missing the last four years of Jamie’s life. That’s on me.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, tucking her feet under her in the chair. “But, like I told Jody, this whole situation fuckin’ blows, and there’s plenty of blame to go around, I think.”

Dean chuckled, running a finger across his mouth and propping his chin on his fist. “Yeah, I agree with that. So, where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “Mine and Jamie’s lives are here. We can’t go, and I won’t ask you to stay, so where does that leave us?”

“Why not?” he asked, turning his piercing gaze on her. Aurora frowned, avoiding his eyes, knowing that if she looked directly at him, she might just fall on her knees and beg him to never leave her again.

“Why won’t we go or why won’t I ask you to stay?”

“I know why you won’t go, why won’t you ask me to stay?”

“Would you?” she asked, finally brave enough to look him in the eyes, and instantly wished she hadn’t. He said nothing, then shook his head and gave her a sad smile. “That’s what I thought. I’ve always known the answer to that question, Dean. It’s why I never asked. What I’ve not always been sure of, is why.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is the real reason you wouldn’t stay if I asked because you don’t love me, or is it simply because of what you do?”

“Aurora, I—” he started, and she held up a finger to stop him.

“Don’t answer. I don’t want to know. It’s better if I don’t,” she said, no longer looking at him and wanting desperately to run and hide somewhere far away from there. 

He slid out of the chair and knelt down in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. Like the first time, she closed her eyes, not out of stubbornness, but to hide her shattering heart. “Aurora, look at me.”

She shook her head, and he chuckled. “Please?” 

“No, I can’t,” she said, pulling away. “I can’t do this.”

He let her go and stood up, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans and turning away to stare across the yard at the Impala. There were so many things he wanted to say that he simply didn’t have words for. How could he tell her that she was wrong, that he’s never loved someone so much in his entire life? That he’d rather die a thousand deaths in Hell every day for the rest of eternity than walk away from her and Jamie? Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and he blinked them away.

Aurora felt him move away, and a single tear slipped down her cheek as she opened her eyes to see him standing with his back to her. He sniffed, then cleared his throat. Without conscious thought, Aurora got up from the chair and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to his shoulder. 

“You have my heart, Dean, always,” she whispered, “No matter what, I still don’t want it back.”

He turned toward her, and she let go of him and took a small step back, squaring her shoulders as she looked into the eyes of the man who’d made off with her heart like a thief in the night almost ten years before. Without a word, he closed the distance between them, taking her face in his hands and wiping away her tears with his thumbs, planting a kiss on each cheek where they’d fallen. She wrapped her arms around his neck, turning her face toward his, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes still wet with unshed tears. Dean thought she’d never looked more beautiful as he pressed his lips to hers in a desperate attempt to tell her everything she wanted to know and freeze that moment in time. 

“Ew, mom, gross,” Jamie said as he glared at the two of them from the middle of the living room, a juice box clutched in his hand as he flopped onto the couch next to Sam to watch more cartoons.

Aurora laughed, her mouth still on his as he chuckled, pressing his forehead to hers. He kissed it lightly, then pulled her close as she breathed in the scent of him. “Always,” he whispered into her hair, knowing it would never be enough.

Aurora smiled, relishing the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, if only for a short time, as a tear slipped from under her lashes. “Always.”


	10. Epilogue

**_Two Months Later - August 2016 - Jamie’s Birthday_ **

Aurora checked her phone for the twentieth time in the last hour, her impatience growing as the minutes passed slower than baby turtles stampeding through molasses. She huffed, pacing the kitchen as the breeze through the open windows and doors ruffled through her loose curls, then sighed and walked out to the front porch, flopping onto the wicker chair and staring out toward the hill where the road disappeared, willing the Impala to appear.

Dean, Jamie, and Sam left her house a week ago, headed for the bunker in Kansas, and Dean swore they would be back in time for the birthday celebration she’d planned for Jamie. Aurora replayed the conversation in her head, still annoyed she let those boys convince her to say yes, not to mention letting Jamie go without her. Dean reminded her over and over again the bunker was warded against all things supernatural and he’d be safe, but Aurora wasn’t convinced, so then Dean reminded her that by the time he was Jamie’s age, he was hunting—which did absolutely nothing to make her feel better.

She was about to say no when the two of them ganged up on her with their sad faces and she relented, much to Sam’s amusement. Snorting at the memory, she checked her phone again, then sighed, pacing back to the kitchen to check on the birthday cake in the oven. The squeak of brakes at the curb set her back to the door to greet Jody as she got out of the truck, gripping a huge bouquet of balloons. 

Alex stepped out of the passenger side of the truck and gave Aurora a shy wave. Aurora smiled, waving back as she stepped off the porch to greet them. “Hey, thanks for coming,” she said, giving Jody a slight hug as she nodded to Alex.

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Jody said, shifting the balloons to her other hand. “I’m honored you asked us to be here.”

Aurora shrugged, smiling at her, ignoring the lump in her throat. She’d spent so much time keeping everyone at arm’s length to protect herself and Jamie, only to wake up and realize she had no one, until the day Jody showed up and refused to leave her life. “Who else would I ask?”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited someone else to come too. She’s on her way from Stillwater, Minnesota, so she should be here any time.” Aurora froze, blinking at Jody. 

“Who is it?” Aurora swallowed, trying to control the ball of panic rolling around in her stomach. 

“Her name is Donna,” Jody replied as the three of them walked toward the porch, “she’s a sheriff deputy in Stillwater, and also a hunter.”

Aurora swallowed again, blowing out a breath. “Does she, you know—know about everything?”

Jody nodded as Aurora held the screen door open wide for Alex and Jody to enter. “She does. Believe it or not, Dean was the one who told her.”

Aurora's mouth fell open in shocked surprise and she closed it as Alex snickered. “That—doesn’t seem like him at all.”

“Well, they’ve known each other for a while, and Donna’s good people. Besides, I think it’s also a protection thing.”

“What do you mean?” Aurora asked. The oven timer beeped relentlessly, and Aurora walked toward the kitchen to retrieve the cake from the oven. Alex wandered idly around the living room, scanning Aurora’s stacks of books and journals.

“The more hunters who know that you and Jamie are off limits, the better for you both. It's his way of protecting you guys when he can’t be here.”

“And other hunters are just going to listen to him? I thought they just kind of did whatever they wanted. It’s not like he’s the king of hunters or anything,” Aurora snorted, still in disbelief.

Jody laughed, shaking her head. “No, he’s not. But Sam and Dean are well, Sam and Dean, and any hunter would have to be incredibly stupid to attack anyone those boys consider family. And if they’re that stupid, well—they probably weren’t going to live long as a hunter anyway.” Aurora snorted, setting the cake on the island to cool before she frosted it.

“There’s also the added bonus of how much you help hunters in your own right. They’re not just taking Dean’s word for it, they’ve seen your work, and they’ve got your back too.” Jody said, turning toward the front door as someone knocked.

Aurora stuck her head around the corner, then nodded to Jody to answer the door as she turned back to the cake, trying to keep her nervous hands busy.

“Hey Donna,” Jody’s voice came from the living room, “it’s good to see you. Thanks for coming.”

“Are you kidding? Dean could barely contain himself when he told me about Jamie. I had to meet this kid, and his mom.” Aurora smiled at the woman’s slight Minnesotan accent, and wondered just what Dean was telling people. 

Jody and Donna appeared in the kitchen doorway, and Aurora smiled, holding out her hand as Jody introduced them. Donna shook her head, pulling her into a hug as Aurora grunted in surprise. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Aurora.”

“You too,” Aurora said as Donna released her. She gave her a tight smile, turning back toward the cooling cake on the island. Donna tilted her head in confusion, glancing to Jody. 

“Is something wrong?” Jody asked, shrugging one shoulder in response to Donna’s unspoken question. 

“No, I, it’s—” Aurora blew out a breath, turning her gaze toward them. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve been rude. It is very nice to meet you, Donna.”

“Spit it out,” Jody said, tilting her head, “don’t make me use my mom voice.”

Aurora snickered, then shook her head. “I just didn’t think Dean would tell anyone about Jamie, or me for that matter, especially not now that he knows what I am. We haven’t even talked about any of it, not really anyway. I just thought we’d just be his dirty little secret or something.”

“Oh, honey,” Donna said, taking a seat on one of the barstools as Aurora flipped the cake pan over, releasing it onto a plate. Donna glanced up at Jody, then back to Aurora. “She doesn’t know, does she?” Jody shook her head, glaring at Donna, as Aurora’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, darting between the two of them. 

“What don’t I know?” Aurora demanded, jabbing a spoon into the bowl of icing and dropping it with a plop on top of the cake before spreading it in even strokes around the sides

Before anyone could answer, the rumble of the Impala’s exhaust floated in through the windows as it topped the hill. Aurora dropped the spoon and bolted for the front door, leaving Donna and Jody smiling at each other. Jody picked up the spoon and continued icing the cake, humming to herself as they waited for Aurora and the others to come back inside.

“Mom!” Jamie squealed as he jumped out of the car and leaped into his mother’s arms, grinning from ear to ear as the weight of him sent her tumbling backwards onto the lawn. He clung to her as she breathed in the scent of him, saying silent prayers of thanks he’d returned in one piece. 

“Dad and Uncle Sam took me to the bunker, just like they said, and it.was.AWESOME! You’d love it! There’s this huge library that has all these books, and there’s tons of room, and the garage is full of all kinds of cars. It has an armory and a shooting range, and dad taught me how to use some of the weapons.”

“Did he now?” Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow at Dean, who shrugged, a sheepish smile curving his lips. Sam stood beside him, a guilty smile on his face as he pointed at Dean. “Do you at least still have all your fingers and toes?”

Jamie rolled his eyes, pushing himself off his mother. “Yes, Mom. See?” He held up his hands and wiggled ten digits at her. She sat up on the grass, smiling at him. 

“Good, then your dad and uncle can keep all theirs,” she said, giving the two men a pointed look. Jamie snorted, then stood up, dusting blades of grass from his jeans as Sam and Dean both helped Aurora to her feet, all of their heads turning toward the Impala as the back door opened. 

“Oh mom, I almost forgot. Dad wanted you to meet someone. He’s really cool,” Jamie said, waving toward the car as a man in a khaki trenchcoat and blue tie walked toward Dean. His hair was slightly wavy and the color of chocolate, and his eyes were as striking blue as Aurora’s own.

Aurora smiled at him as she tried to keep an iron grip on the uneasiness curling in her stomach. She and Jamie were safe, at least for now, but she couldn’t help but feel like something big was coming for them all, and the more people she allowed into her life, the more people she might lose. Dean’s voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.

“Yeah, Aurora, I want you to meet Castiel. Cas, this is Aurora.” Castiel smiled and held out his hand and Aurora shook it, then stumbled back as though a bolt of electricity shot through her.

“What are you?” Aurora breathed, her eyes widening. 

“Yeah, about that,” Dean rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, “he’s an angel.”

Aurora stared at Dean, frowning. “Wait—you’re saying angels are real? I mean, I guess it makes sense, but I didn’t think—”

“At least you aren’t shocked enough about my existence to stab me,” Castiel said, tilting his head to one side and studying her face. 

Dean pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. “It’s been six years, Cas. How many times do I have to apologize for that?”

“I don’t know. You’ll stop apologizing when you stop feeling guilty, I guess,” Castiel said, not looking at Dean. Aurora shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze, a gnawing feeling in her gut that he was staring into her soul and finding it broken beyond repair.

Dean cleared his throat as Jamie tugged at his hand, pulling him toward the house. “How about we take this inside?”

Aurora shook her head to clear it, then glanced back at the house. “Oh, uh, sure. Jody, Alex and Donna are already here, probably in the kitchen icing Jamie’s cake.”

“I thought that was her car in the driveway. I can’t believe she drove all this way,” Dean said, incredulous. 

“Yeah, she said she had to meet the kid and his mom you’d told her so much about,” Aurora said, her mouth set in a thin line. “Just what exactly are you telling people, Dean?”

Sam coughed, then looked at Jamie. “Hey Jamie, why don’t we head inside and let your parents talk for a minute?” 

Jamie nodded, a worried frown knitting his brows. He hoped they wouldn’t fight like he’d seen some of his friends’ parents do, especially since his mom was a super witch, and his dad was a monster hunter whose best friend was an angel. They weren’t exactly ordinary people with ordinary problems.

Sam put an arm around Jamie’s shoulders, leading him toward the porch. “You too, Cas,” he said, not looking back. Castiel huffed, then followed when Dean gestured for him to go.

“So…” Dean said, avoiding her gaze. “Sorry about that?”

“That’s all you have to say?” Aurora asked, glaring at him.

“No, it’s not. Just let me finish, okay?” Aurora huffed, then nodded once, gesturing for him to continue. Dean blew out a breath, turning away from her to lean on the car, resting his arms on the roof. “You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think about everything. I mean there’s not really much else to do when I’m driving cross country at two in the morning and Sam is snoring in the passenger seat.”

Aurora snorted, but didn’t interrupt him, and he turned around to face her, leaning back against the car and folding his arms across his chest. “There’s something I need to tell you, and I want you to hear me out, okay?” 

“Okay. That sounds ominous,” she said slowly, narrowing her eyes at him, wondering what on earth he could possibly tell her. 

“So, Sam, Cas, and I have been trying to find a way to free me from the Mark, because I’ve done some things in the last couple of months—,” he paused, glancing away, then took a deep breath, “never mind, that part isn’t important. What is important is that we have a lead that we’re chasing after we leave here, but if it works out the way most things in mine and Sam’s lives does, you and Jamie could be in danger, and I want you guys to move to the bunker for a few months, just until we get past this.”

“Dean, we talked about this after Chicago. Jamie and I aren’t going anywhere. Sioux Falls is our home, for better or worse, and I will deal with whatever danger comes to our front door, but I am not running scared every time your life gets complicated. I get it, you’re worried, but don’t you think it’s a little selfish to ask me to hide in a bunker while you’re gone with nothing but a library and a ticking clock on the wall just so you can feel better about whatever reckless thing you guys are about to do? Seriously Dean, did you even consider how Jamie and I might feel about you doing something like that?”

He stared at her, momentarily speechless, then frowned. “Honestly, no.”

“Unbelievable.” Aurora threw her hands up, turning away from him to go inside the house, then stopped, turning back to him. “Look, I did what you asked and heard you out, but you have no idea what you’re truly asking of me, and the fact you didn’t even consider how me or Jamie would feel about it tells me everything I need to know about how things would be if I agreed.”

“Damn it, Aurora, this isn’t the time to be stubborn. Besides, Jamie loves the bunker, you heard how excited he was when he told you about it.”

Aurora sighed, rubbing her hands down her face. “Of course he loves it! He’s eight years old! It’s new and exciting and he got to spend time with you and Sam. It was also temporary, and he knew he’d get to come back here. His school, his friends, his soccer team, they’re his entire life. You’re essentially demanding that I force him to give all that up because of something that may or may not happen, and all you care about is that you’re not inconvenienced by worrying about us. Never mind the fact that we’d be worried sick about you guys, without even the routine of our daily lives as any sort of comfort. I love you, Dean. I will always love you, but I won’t put Jamie through that.”

“What am I supposed to do then?” He glared at her, and she returned the look, her eyes sparkling with suppressed fury. “I can’t stay here and keep you two safe, and I can’t lose you either.”

“Well, for starters, you could try having a little faith that  _ I _ can keep us both safe while you’re gone. Frankly, it annoys the hell out of me that you just assume I’m some damsel that always needs saving. Let me tell you something, Dean, I haven’t been that sad, scared girl you stopped to help all those years ago for a long time, and Jamie is the reason for all of that, so as long as I’m breathing, nothing will hurt him.” 

Dean opened his mouth to say something then thought better of it. He shook his head, staring up at the sky as he chuckled. “You’re right. It’s just that—” he hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing, never mind.”

“It’s just that what, Dean?” Aurora frowned at him, confusion etching the fine lines of her face as her heart skipped a beat. She knew better than to have hope he’d ever tell her the truth about how he felt about her, but every time he hesitated like this, she wondered if those were the words he stopped himself from saying.

“Nothing,” he sighed, looking defeated. “It doesn’t matter.”

Aurora took a step toward him, folding her arms across her chest as she tilted her head to the side, studying him. “It matters to me.” Her voice was soft, almost hypnotizing, and Dean shook his head. Aurora took another step forward, close enough now for him to reach out to her, and he did, pulling her close to him and breathing in the scent of her hair.

He pulled away slightly, tilting her chin up to look at his face, and she squeaked in surprise as his mouth crashed into hers in a fiery kiss that said everything and nothing all at once, leaving Aurora breathless and confused. She took a step back, willing her heart to remove itself from her throat and return to its rightful place in her chest.

“Dean—” she started as he reached out and pressed a finger to her lips. She frowned at him, and he gave her a crooked smile as she started to protest.

“Shhh,” he mumbled, “Do you want me to say this or not?” Aurora nodded, her frown deepening as he removed his finger from her mouth. 

“I know you think that I don’t feel the same way about you that you do for me, but you’re wrong. The first time I met you, I couldn’t explain it, but I felt like I was home for the first time since my mom died. My entire life has been about saving people and hunting monsters, and I didn’t know how to be or do anything else. Hell, I still don’t. What I do know is that my life is better with you and Jamie in it, and I never want to lose that, not ever, but I can’t bring myself to tell you how I feel. My whole life, anytime someone told me they loved me, they were trying to manipulate me somehow. It didn’t matter if it was family, friends, or lovers—no one ever said they loved me without an agenda, except Sam. Then you came along, and you loved me without any expectations or demands and told me so, over and over again. I had no idea what to do with that. If I’m being truly honest, I still don’t know what to do with that, but here we are.”

A brief silence fell between them as he gathered his thoughts before continuing on. “Aurora, you are, without a doubt, the most stubborn, frustrating, irritating, and confusing woman I have ever had the privilege of knowing.” He took a step forward, brushing his knuckles along her jawline as he gazed into her tear-filled eyes. “And every time I have to leave you, I feel like I’ve just ripped my own heart out and I can’t breathe until I can see you again. I wish I could say all the words you want to hear, but I can’t.”

“You just did,” Aurora whispered, flashing him a small smile and placing her hands on his cheeks as a tear slipped out from the corner of one eye. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him again, losing herself in the feel of his body next to hers as everything, all the pain and sadness she’d endured for the last ten years, fell away and only the two of them were left standing amongst the emotional wreckage of her heart. 

The screen door slammed and Aurora pulled away, her eyes glistening and a dusting of color on her cheeks as she glanced up to see everyone standing on the porch, smiling down at them and murmuring conversations amongst themselves. Jamie stood at the front of the group, grinning widely at her. 

“So does this mean we’re moving to the bunker?”

Aurora took a huge step back, her eyes glinting the remnants of once happy tears as she pointed to both Dean and Jamie. “So help me, if you two came up with that stunt to manipulate me into saying yes…” she clenched her teeth as anger bubbled in her chest. How dare Dean do something like that to her? And of course it was easy to make her fall for it, it wasn’t like it was a secret how much she loved him.

“Aurora, were you not listening? I didn’t say any of that to manipulate you. I said it because I’ve needed to say it for years and it was time.” Dean took her hand, squeezing it lightly as she searched his eyes for some indication he was lying to her.

“Mom,” Jamie said, running down the steps and wrapping his arms around her waist. “I swear, we didn’t even talk about anything like that. After hearing your conversation I just thought—I thought you might change your mind. I knew your first answer would be no, and that’s what I told dad when he asked.”

Aurora looked away from them both as the lump in her throat threatened to strangle her. She patted Jamie’s back, and he let go of her, squaring his shoulders to look at her as she sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. “What do you want to do, Jamie? Do you want to go?”

“Kinda. I mean, I don’t know.” He stared at his shoes, toeing a clump of grass near his foot. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading and Aurora’s angry glare softened. “I just want us to be a family.”

“Sweetheart,” Aurora said, fluffing his curls, “no matter what, we are a family. Maybe not anyone’s definition of normal or ideal, but we are still our own kind of family.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same, Mom. I want us to be a family—together. I don’t really care about school, or soccer, or my friends if it means I can see dad all the time, instead of just when he’s passing through town on a hunt.”

“Jamie,” Aurora said, pressing a hand to his cheek, “you still wouldn’t see Dean all the time, because he’d still be hunting. We’d just be there, in the bunker, waiting for them to come back whenever they leave again. Is that really how you want to grow up? You’d still have to go to school there, except now you’ll be the weird kid who lives in a fallout shelter or something.”

“Mom, here I’m already the weird kid with the strange mom and absent dad, not much is going to change there. Why don’t you want to go? You and dad love each other, right?” Aurora opened her mouth to speak, but Jamie cut her off. “Please don’t tell me it’s complicated. This is one of those things that adults make more complicated without any good reason.”

Aurora sighed, shaking her head, then smiled at him. When did her little boy get so smart? She shifted her gaze between Jamie and Dean’s faces, the last of her defenses crumbling at the sight of the two people she loved most in the world standing before her with pleading green eyes. “Alright,” she breathed, raising her hands in surrender, “you guys win. We’ll move to Kansas.”

“Yes!” Jamie pumped his arm, then ran up the front steps to high-five Sam as Aurora smiled after him. “This is the best birthday present ever!” 

Dean held out his arm, beckoning Aurora to come closer. She moved to stand next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder as his arm went around her waist, both of them watching their son talking animatedly to the others. 

Jamie glanced over at them, his smile widening at the sight of his parents standing together, watching him. In that moment, all was right in the world, and something bloomed inside him as he watched them, something he’d been missing since he and Aurora returned from Chicago. Hope. 

“Hey, Mom! Can we have cake now?” Jamie called to Aurora as she flashed him a smile, nodding.

“Absolutely,” she said, stepping away from Dean, then turning back and taking his hand. “Let’s go have some cake.”

They spent the rest of the evening and half the night sitting around the living room, eating birthday cake, and telling stories as Jamie soaked everything up like a sponge, finally falling asleep with his head in his mother’s lap as she stroked his hair.

Jody, Alex, and Donna said their goodbyes as Dean walked them out. Aurora smiled after them, wondering if this was what a normal family life was. It wasn’t like she had anything to compare it to, not really, and the thought of never having anything like that made her tear up a little, but she blinked them away as Dean returned, scooping Jamie into his arms and carrying him to his bed. 

Aurora pointed out the guest room to Sam and Castiel, and the two of them retreated into it as she got up to go tuck Jamie in. She kissed him on the forehead, standing up and backing into Dean’s solid frame, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her.

He nuzzled her neck, sending shivers up her spine. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, turning around to face him. He smiled at her, kissing her forehead.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured, taking her hand, a wicked grin spreading across his face, “take me to bed and I’ll show you just how much.” Aurora grinned, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, then led him toward her own bedroom.

**_Five Months Later - January 2017_ **

Aurora pressed the tape across the last box of books, heaving a sigh as she stood up straight. She massaged her aching back as Jamie entered the room, moving closer to check on his mom, then placed his hands on the slight bulge of her belly, kissing it softly as she smiled down at him.

“I finished packing my room,” he said, dropping his hands as Aurora sat down on the overstuffed armchair in the living room. She glanced around at the bare bookshelves, a rush of sadness overwhelming her, but she pushed it away to focus on Jamie.

“Awesome,” she said, holding out her fist and he bumped it with his own. “The movers should be here soon, and then we’ll hit the road.”

As though summoned, the moving truck lumbered to a stop at the curb, and Aurora hoisted herself out of the chair to go answer the door, holding it wide for the two men to enter. After a short list of instructions, it was easy enough to load the small van, since the couple who bought the house insisted on buying the furniture too, since all that was left were Aurora’s books, photos, and other personal things she didn’t want to leave behind.

She sighed, glancing around the room as memories of Jamie’s childhood flooded her mind. Aurora thought she must be absolutely insane for moving them all the way to Kansas while Dean was off with Sam and Castiel, doing god knew what as they tried to find a way to break the curse of the Mark. It was exactly what she’d been afraid of happening, but regardless, she was in it now, for better or worse. 

She rubbed her belly absently as a flutter of movement made her smile. “Rest easy, little one,” she murmured, “your life is going to get wild once you’re born.” Aurora set the keys to the house on the kitchen island as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She sniffed, then turned and held her hand out to Jamie, the way she had for as long as he could remember.

“A new adventure awaits,” she said, smiling through her unshed tears. Jamie smiled back, taking his mother’s hand and squeezing it slightly.

“Are you ready, Mom?” he asked, suddenly nervous as he gazed up at her. Oh well, it was too late to go back now, the only thing to do now was keep pushing forward.

“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, giving his hand a light squeeze and leading him out the front door to the waiting Chevelle.

  
  



End file.
